


Broken Trust

by IceQueenofMitera



Series: Broken [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-03-04 21:12:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 42
Words: 78,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13373160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceQueenofMitera/pseuds/IceQueenofMitera
Summary: With the defeat of the Dark Valkyrie and claiming her birthright, Isabel Evans and Derek Hale plan on moving on with their lives.But someone has a different plan.When Kate Argent returns to Beacon Hills, she turns everyone's lives upside down. Namely Derek's. With new powers and friends, she's on the warpath for revenge.At the same time, every supernatural in Beacon Hills finds themselves on the deadpool of someone calling themselves the Benefactor. With the pack members at the top of the list.Will Derek and Isabel survive, or will they once again find themselves broken?





	1. Missing

“Isabel!” Scott McCall’s voice sounded distant. “Isabel!”

“Is she dead?” Stiles Stilinski’s voice sounded just as distant.

“No, she’s not,” Scott sounded annoyed that he had to answer that. “Come on, Isabel. Wake up.” Isabel Evans’ eyes slowly opened and she groaned. “Oh, thank God.” Isabel could hear the relief in his voice.

“Derek. Where’s Derek?” Scott helped her into a sitting position and she looked around. It was day now. Isabel’s brows knit together.

“What do you mean ‘Where’s Derek?’?” Stiles asked.

“Exactly that,” Isabel answered with much more heat than she’d intended. “Please tell me he’s at the animal clinic.”

Scott shook his head. “You didn’t show up for work,” he started to explain. “Deaton called both your cell and Derek’s. Neither one of you were answering.”

If Isabel were a wolf, she would have growled. “Then they took him,” she said through clinched teeth. “Those freaking Hunters took him knowing we knew nothing!”

“What Hunters?” Stiles asked.

“The Calaveras. They’re back looking for Kate. They were here when we got home. Severo informed us that Kate was back and demanded that we tell them where she was hiding.” Isabel reached behind her. “One of them shot me. They tried to kill us when we told them we didn’t know. Why would they take Derek?”

Stiles had seemingly wandered off. He returned a moment later with a handful of bullet casings. “These are all over the place,” he said.

Both Isabel and Scott took one. A skull was stamped into the casing. “What’s with the skull?” Scott wondered aloud.

“It’s the Calaveras seal. Fitting actually. Calavera means skull in Spanish.”

“You know the Calaveras seal?”

“My father knew them well and warned Vincent and I to stay as far away from them as possible. In case you didn’t notice from our last dealings with them, they are ruthless and will not only enforce the Code but follow it to the letter,” Isabel looked at Scott. “We have to find Derek.”

 

~~~

 

“The Calaveras?” Lydia Martin asked. “The South American Hunters that went after Derek multiple times trying to find Kate?” Scott nodded. The two along with Isabel and Stiles were standing in the exam room of the animal clinic.

“They’re from Mexico actually,” Isabel corrected. “I’m not asking you guys to come with me. I won’t ask you to come with me. It’ll be Araya’s territory.”

“Derek is my friend, Isabel. And my Beta. He’s my responsibility as much as Stiles, Lydia and you are,” Scott set the tin he was holding on the exam table. “And we need to know if he’s alive at least.” Lydia sighed, knowing now why she was here. She reached into the tin and pulled out a couple of the casings. “These were found all over the area where we found Isabel.”

Lydia nodded and stuck her hand back into the tin, grabbing a handful of casings. She held them in her hand for a moment before dropping them on the table and listening.

“What do you hear, Lydia?” Stiles asked a few minutes later. “Is he dead?”

Lydia shook her head. “He’s not dead, but I’m not sure he’s alive.”

“What does that mean?” Scott asked.

“Something’s not right. I… I just don’t know,” Lydia looked at Scott. “I just don’t know.”

“What are we going to do?” Stiles asked. Isabel started to turn away.

“You’re not going alone, Isabel,” Scott said.

“You’re not coming with me.”

“You don’t have a choice. I’m coming.”

“So am I,” Stiles interjected.

“And you’ll need me, too,” Lydia added.

“Yes, the four of us are just going to walk up to Araya and demand her to give us Derek back.”

“Give us 24 hours to come up with a plan,” Scott said.

“Derek might not have 24 hours.”

“Araya won’t kill him as long as she thinks he knows how to give her Kate.”

“And if she realizes that he really doesn’t know where she is?”

“Then give us 12.”

 

~~~

 

The plan turned out to involve Scott, Stiles, Lydia and Kira Yukimura lying to their parents about a camping trip. Malia Hale didn’t have to say anything to her father, as Peter hadn’t been home when Malia left. But she did leave a note saying she would be away all weekend with her friends. Isabel would lead the way on a motorcycle, which seemed to surprise everyone that she even had one. She explained that it used to be Peter’s but Derek took it after the fire. Isabel wasn’t crazy about the idea of the five teenagers coming along, especially the Alpha of the Beacon Hills pack. But Scott had been insistent. Stiles was carrying the money from Chris Argent’s botched Yakuza gun deal when he, Allison Argent and Isaac Lahey were trying to find out more information on the Oni and why the demons had attacked every supernatural in Beacon Hills. The money, a total of fifty thousand dollars, had exchanged hands several times before landing back into Chris’ possession.

Chris, in turn, gave them the money to deal with Araya. “If the money is high enough, she can be bribed,” he’d offered when he handed the money to Isabel. “But be careful. Don’t underestimate her.” Chris, Sean and Lindsey Chasseur were currently trying to track down Kate to find out why the Calaveras went after Derek once again.

 

Isabel stopped the motorcycle once they were within the small town and Stiles pulled up next to her, rolling down his window. “What is it?” he asked.

“Middle of town, there’s a building that the Calaveras use as a front for their operations,” Isabel answered.

“What kind of front?” Stiles asked.

“A club. Use the card that Chris gave you to gain access through the front. I know of another way in and I can distract the guard there and get the rest of us in.”

“Just so you know. I hate this plan,” Lydia said from the backseat.

“So do I,” Isabel admitted.

“Will you two stop already,” Stiles said. “It’ll be fine.”

“Please don’t say that.”

“Why?”

“It’s like saying something is too easy,” Scott answered. “You say too easy and a flash bulb arrow explodes by your head or you get shot twice with arrows.” Isabel knew he was referring to the night that Peter killed Kate and Derek killed Peter.

“Then let’s hope no one is shooting arrows at us.”

“We’re going to die,” Lydia said.

“Please tell me that’s a Banshee prediction,” Scott said.

“No, I think she’s just being pessimistic,” Malia retorted.

Isabel had to agree with Lydia. This plan had disaster written all over it.

 

~~~

 

True to her word, Isabel was able to distract the guard while Scott, Kira and Malia snuck in. Isabel slipped in a few minutes later. The four split up once inside. Scott kept to the shadowy parts of the club along the back wall. Kira sat in the chairs along one wall. Malia took to the dance floor. Isabel leaned against the bar. The DJ kept the club hopping with loud Latino music. Several minutes later, a semi confident Stiles and a semi frightened Lydia walked in from the front entrance and made their way to the bar. Isabel kept an eye on them from her position at the bar, several feet to their left. She pretended to play with her hair when Severo Calavera walked up behind the two and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. Lydia dropped one of the casings into the shot in front of her before Severo escorted them through a side door. The plan was in motion.

 

~~~

 

“We’re here for Derek Hale,” Lydia said. She and Stiles were in Araya Calavera’s office, Severo standing nearby.

“Is that so?” the Hunter asked.

“We know you have him.” Araya looked up. “We’ve heard you can be bought.”

Stiles began setting the money on Araya’s desk, each bound in ten thousand dollar increments. “There’s fifty thousand for Derek,” he said.

“Where does a teenage boy get that kind of money? Japanese Mafia?” Lydia jumped as a gun was cocked. “Not smart to come alone.”

A sly smile came across Stiles’ face. “What makes you think we came alone?”

Araya looked at him before her jaw set. “You brought a wolf into my home!?”

Stiles leaned forward as Lydia looked over at him. “We brought an Alpha.”

 

~~~

 

Isabel moved away from the bar, stalking the room when she noticed the Hunters beginning to search through the crowd. Malia and Kira were semi blending in by dancing with each other. The crowd was pressed around them. Scott was doing the same as Isabel. Two of the Hunters seemed to realize that Kira and Malia weren’t supposed to be there and made a beeline for them. Malia turned and literally pounced on the man while the woman didn’t know how to react to Kira’s pink rave nun chucks. A third went for Isabel. Isabel grabbed him by his jacket and threw him back towards Scott, who in turn threw him against a wall. Isabel slammed a fourth to the ground while Scott slammed a fifth into a pillar. Scott looked back at the others and nodded before leading the way towards the door the Hunters had come out of.

 

~~~

 

“My friends,” Araya said, turning her back to Stiles and Lydia. “I don’t think you’re aware of your poor timing. Do you know what the Dark Moon is?”

“The part of the lunar phase when the moon is least visible in the sky,” Lydia answered.

“But do you know its meaning?”

“People say it’s a time of reflection. Or grief.”

“Grief and loss, mija.” Stiles and Lydia looked at each other. It had been months since they lost Allison, but the newest members of the pack had been dealing with their own grief. Sean and Lindsey had been orphaned after their parents had been murdered by the jilted lover of Isabel’s mother, who was trying to wipe out every Pure Valkyrie and use an ancient artifact to become god-like and take over everything. Araya cocked her head to the side. “I wonder why, when you and your friends have suffered so much loss, you would risk it again for someone like Derek Hale.”

“Because he’s our friend,” Stiles answered. Araya just gave him a smirk as chatter started over the walkies. The two teenagers looked at one another when a worried look passed over Severo’s face as he tried to hail one of the security guards.

 _Stiles._ Scott’s voice came over the walkie. _Take ten off the table._ Stiles reached up and took a bundle off the desk, tucking it inside his jacket.

“I’d take the money,” Lydia advised.

“As keen as I am to follow the warning of a Banshee, I must respectfully decline.”

“Come on,” Stiles interjected. “Just give us Derek. What do you possible want with him? He’s a poor conversationalist and he’s such a downer.”

Araya picked up a walkie. “Severo, let’s show them how the Calaveras negotiate.”

 

~~~

 

Scott led the way through the hall, following Stiles and Lydia’s scents. Malia and Kira were right behind him with Isabel taking the rear. She had a knife in her hand, having turned a pen using her powers. Scott suddenly stopped, noticing a white smoke coming through a doorway. Seconds later, that same smoke billowed into the hall from above them. Malia immediately went down, coughing and holding her throat. Scott went down to his knees a moment later.

“It’s wolfsbane!” he managed to croak out. “Kira, Isabel, get out of here!” Isabel pulled Kira away and pushed her back the way they’d come, but hesitated herself. “Go!” Scott coughed. A Hunter appeared behind Kira, who stopped once she realized that Isabel wasn’t following her. “Kira, look out!” The Hunter slammed Kira into the wall and the kitsune went down. Isabel defended herself, moving just like a wolf. It took a cattle prod three times to the back to slow her down. Isabel cried out, her eyes glowing bright blue before she, too, went down. Malia was down a moment later.

“Someone who has only been Alpha for a few months should be more careful when facing a Hunter of over forty years.”

“All we want is Derek.” Scott was fighting the effects of the wolfsbane.

Araya seemed to be studying him. “My lobito,” she said with a smirk. “You’re a long way from home.”

Scott listened to her heartbeat as she looked them over. It slightly increased at the mention of the Beta. He then came to a realization. “You don’t know where he is either.” This seemed to anger Araya and she shoved a cattle prod into his chest.


	2. Helpful Hunters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Araya tests Scott while the others try to figure out how to escape the Calaveras.

Scott woke up on a bathroom floor.

“Guys, he’s awake,” Kira announced. The others rushed over to him.

“Scott?” Stiles asked, worry in his voice. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” He started to sit up, Kira and Stiles helping him. “They don’t have him. They don’t have Derek.”

“We know. But they have Lydia.”

“Lydia? What do they want with Lydia?”

Stiles shrugged. “I don’t know.” Scott went to the door and tried to force it open.

“We’ve tried that already,” Isabel said. She was sitting on the floor leaned against a pillar.

“We’ve already tried looking for a way out,” Kira confirmed.

“I think a lot of people have tried looking for a way out,” Malia said as Scott noticed the claw marks in the wall next to the door and ran his fingers across them.

“I don’t see why Isabel can’t turn something into a battering ram and get us out of here.”

Isabel gave Stiles a dirty look. “For starters, do you see anything I can use to do that? Secondly, thick steel door with a heavy bolt. Think maximum security prison. If I could turn something into a battering ram, the noise would just bring the entire Calavera clan on us and possibly kill us.”

“Speaking of,” Scott interjected before Stiles could retort. “Araya hasn’t killed us. We’re still alive. That must mean she wants something.”

“Yeah. Kate,” Malia said. “I say next time that door opens, we jump whoever it is and get the hell out of here.”

“What about Lydia?” Kira asked.

“What about her?”

“We’re not leaving without her.” Scott said.

“Malia,” Stiles said calmly. “We’ve talked about this. Rules of the animal kingdom do not apply to friends.”

“Sorry.”

“Do you guys really expect her to forget her animal instincts after being a full coyote for eight years in just a few months?” Isabel asked. “It’s going to take some time.”

“What do you know about animal instincts?” Stiles asked.

“I’ve dated werewolves, sweetheart. I know plenty.”

Scott suddenly turned as the latch to the door was thrown and the door opened. Isabel stood and walked next to Scott. Severo and three other Hunters were standing in the doorway. Both Isabel and Scott went into defensive stances. Severo held up the cattle prod and went towards Scott. He and another Hunter shoved their cattle prods into Isabel’s chest. She went down and Scott knew it was taking everything for her to keep from extending her wings. Malia darted over to her. Severo then shoved his prod into Scott’s chest.

“Scott!” Kira cried and the Alpha went down. Another Hunter shoved his prod into her back and ended up flying into the wall, much to Severo’s amusement. He grabbed Kira’s arm as the third Hunter stood.

“Get the Alpha.” He pointed the cattle prod at Malia and Stiles. “You two behave and stay with the Beta.” Scott and Kira were dragged out of the room and the door shut and locked.

“Beta?” Malia asked.

“He obviously… wasn’t paying attention… to the fact I… don’t have fangs.”

“Whoa! Talons!”

“Malia, move. I can’t control it!” Stiles pulled Malia away from Isabel as her wings extended, the effect of the combined cattle prods hitting her. “I freaking hate electricity,” Isabel muttered. And for good reason. She’d spent days in a Chasseur warehouse being electrocuted over the Eye of Odin, a powerful Valkyrie artifact that would allow a Dark Valkyrie to return to being a Pure and turned out to be more powerful than anyone thought. It was currently hidden deep within the Hale Vault, although Stiles had no idea where this secret vault was. Or why the Hales had a secret vault to begin with. It took Isabel several minutes to regain control of herself and she returned to her human form.

“You good?” Stiles asked, crouching next to her. Her talons had retracted although her eyes were still glowing.

Isabel nodded. “I say we go with Malia’s plan. We jump the next people through that door, get Scott and the others and get the hell out of here.”

 

~~~

 

“You have me!” Scott said as Lydia was shackled to a chair next to him. “You don’t need the others. Let them go.”

Araya ignored him. Severo dragged Kira over to the voltage box. “Let me explain what is about to happen,” he said. “This one, the fox, has an immunity to electricity. So she’s going to turn the dial on the Alpha. If she refuses, I turn the dial on the Banshee.” Scott heard Lydia’s heart rate increase.

Kira shook her head, looking horrified. “No!” she cried. “I’m not doing this!”

“Are you sure? One of your friends has the ability to heal,” Araya said. “The other, not so much. Choose wisely.”

“What are you doing?” Scott asked. “Is this a game to you?”

“This is a test, lobito,” Araya said. “Let’s see if you pass. We’re going to ask some questions. You answer correctly, nobody gets hurt. Answer incorrectly.” Araya shrugged. Kira looked horrified.

“Kira.” The kitsune looked at Scott. “It’s okay. I can handle it.” Kira didn’t look convinced. “It’s okay.”

“We don’t know where Derek is. We want to find him as well. You and his mate know who took him.”

“Would we be here if we knew who took him?”

“That doesn’t sound like an answer to me.”

“We don’t know,” Lydia said. “We came here because you shot Isabel. We thought you took him.”

“Kira, turn the dial.” Kira’s eyes widened and she shook her head. “Should I turn the dial on Lydia instead?”

“No!” Scott cried. “Do it, Kira. It’s okay.” Kira took a ragged breath and nodded.

“Let’s start at one.”

 

~~~

 

Isabel had broken a mirror and had turned the shard into a tool to try to jimmy the latch. She was currently pressed against the door with her ear against it. Stiles was pacing and Malia was sitting cross-legged on the floor. She had her eyes closed trying to focus her hearing. While Scott had taught her to control her shifts to the point that she could transition smoothly between human and coyote, she still hadn’t mastered her other abilities. Scott was teaching her how to focus her hearing to listen in. Derek was teaching her how to use scent to track. Peter was teaching her how to use both of these to focus on a scene to find out what happened at a certain location. Malia sighed.

“Can you hear them?” Stiles asked. “Can you hear Scott?”

“I can’t concentrate. I’m sorry. There’s just so many voices and sounds.”

“Just do like Scott taught you. Focus on your anchor. Focus on—” Malia cut him off by kissing him. Isabel glanced over at them, then looked amused. Malia broke away and her eyes began to glow blue.

“That works,” Isabel said before going back to work on the door. Several minutes later, the lights began to flicker. Isabel stopped and glanced up before she and Stiles exchanged looks. “Please tell me that’s because they’re late on their light bill.”

Malia looked like she was on the edge of panic. “They’re killing him!” she cried. “They’re questioning him on who else has a vendetta against the Hales.”

Isabel shook her head, then froze. “Oh, no,” she whispered.

“You know who has Derek?”

“I think so.”

“He told them Kate.” Malia looked at Stiles. “Why would she come back and take Derek?” Malia then looked at Isabel, having heard the angry up tick of her heart.

“I should have known she’d come back. I should have known it was her!” She turned and punched the door and Stiles could have sworn he heard bone break. Isabel cursed under her breath.

“You don’t happen to know where she is now, do you?” Isabel gave Stiles a look. “Hey you’ve adopted Derek’s ‘I’m going to freaking kill you’ look. Awesome.”

 

~~~

 

Araya and Severo escorted the group out of the club. “You could have just told me that it was Kate,” Scott said as the others walked over to Stiles’ Jeep and Isabel’s motorcycle. “Instead of threatening to electrocute my friends.”

“I wanted to find out what kind of Alpha you were. Now I know,” she smiled. “I sent some Hunters to Kate’s last known sighting. They never returned. Maybe you’ll have better luck than they.”

“How do I know you’re not setting us up?”

“I have no proof that any of your pack has taken a human life. I would not set you up for death just like that. I am sending you a guide to lead you there.” Scott nodded and started to turn away. “But I have two warnings for you, Scott McCall.” Scott turned back to her. “I know what kind of Alpha you are. And I know your next step.”

“My next step?”

“Know that when you take the Bite of an innocent, when you make a wolf of your own, I will cross _your_ border and come knocking at _your_ door.”

“And your second warning?”

Araya glanced over at Isabel, who was leaning against the motorcycle. “I have never seen a wolf with an immunity to wolfsbane like your Beta has. And it will make her a dangerous part of your pack. An immunity like that will cause her to be trouble.”

“Isabel?” He glanced over at the Valkyrie, realizing that Araya had mistakenly identified her as a wolf because of the color of her eyes. “I have nothing to worry about with her.”

“You have my warning. Do with it what you wish.” She turned and went back into the club as Scott joined the others.

“Now what?” Stiles asked.

“Araya thinks Kate is holding Derek in some ruins several miles away. She’s sending a guide with us.” A motorcycle approached them, the rider clad completely in leather. The rider stopped next to Isabel’s and took her helmet off. “Braeden?” Scott asked.

“Hi, Scott.”

“Well, at least it’s someone we know,” Isabel said sarcastically.

“We need to get to La Iglesia before nightfall.”

“The Church?” Lydia translated. “What’s at this church?”

“It’s what’s underneath it that we need to get to. It’s where Kate is keeping Derek.”

“Then let’s go,” Isabel said. Scott nodded. Isabel put her helmet on and straddled the bike, revving it up as the teenagers climbed into the Jeep.


	3. La Inglesia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles tries his hand at being a mechanic while Braeden, Scott, and Isabel make an unusual discovery at La Inglesia

Braeden led the way while Isabel followed behind the Jeep.

“You know Isabel is pissed that Kate was the one that took Derek,” Malia said, glancing out the back window.

“I’ve lost count of how many times Kate has tried to kill Derek,” Scott said. “Derek knew who was responsible for the Hale fire all these years and he carried that around with him because he blamed himself for it,” Scott glanced behind him. “When we thought Peter ripped her throat out, he was an Alpha. His scratch turned Kate. The Calaveras heard that she’d been killed by an Alpha and came to Beacon Hills to make sure she was dead.”

“We were at her funeral, Scott. We saw her buried.”

“No we saw her casket. We never saw her body. The Calaveras switched out the bodies the night before the funeral once they saw she was turning. They are like the Code Police. A Hunter that is bitten has to commit suicide before they turn. Like Allison’s mom did when Derek bit her saving me. Kate refused to.”

“Good for her,” Malia said. “I wouldn’t have done it either.”

“Would you have killed six people to escape? That’s why the Calaveras were hunting her. They came across Derek and Peter shortly after they took Cora back to South America and were convinced that they knew where Kate was.”

“They didn’t know she was alive at the time,” Kira said.

“No, then she showed up in Beacon Hills, attacked the twins and then attacked Derek in his loft. But why she returned to Beacon Hills and attacked Isabel, Derek, and the Hunters at the building and took Derek, even Araya doesn’t know.” They heard something hit the Jeep and it lurched.

Stiles almost lost control of his car before coming to a stop. “What the hell was that?”

The teens jumped out of the Jeep as Isabel hopped off her bike. “You guys okay?”

“Yeah.”

Braeden rejoined them. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” Stiles said as he and Malia looked over the Jeep. “It felt like we hit something.”

“We have to get to La Inglasia before nightfall. It’s too dangerous otherwise.”

“Go,” Stiles said to Scott.

“Not without you.”

“Someone has to get to Derek. You and Isabel go with Braeden. We’ll figure something out. We always do. Now get out of here.” Scott hugged Stiles before turning and heading towards Braeden.

“Scott!” Kira ran up to Scott and he turned. Isabel replaced her helmet. “What?”

“I really can’t think of anything to say except be careful.”

“Be careful works.”

“Scott!” Braeden called.

Kira hugged Scott. “Then be careful.”

Scott chuckled.

“Watch his back, Isabel,” Malia said. “And find my cousin.”

“I will, Malia.” She revved her bike and followed Braeden.

 

~~~

 

The three stopped on a ridge overlooking the ruins of an abandoned town. “An earthquake leveled the town years ago,” Braeden explained. “The locals thought it was cursed and never returned.”

“Why is the church still standing?” Scott asked.

“Because of what it was built over. An old Aztec temple for the nagual.”

“Nagual?”

“Werejaguars,” Isabel answered. “Kate must have chosen this place to hide because of that.”

Braeden nodded. “The temple was to the ancient werejaguar god.” The three remounted the bikes and went into the town as the sun began to set.

 

It was dark by the time they reached the center of town. Braeden had her shotgun at the ready. Isabel kept an eye around them, as if she were expecting something to jump out and attack them.

“Out of curiosity, why are you working for the Calaveras?” Scott asked. “Didn’t you break Derek and Peter out of their hands?”

“A girl’s gotta eat.” A smile played at Isabel’s lips.

“Is it all about the money for you?”

“If the money was good, I’d kill you.”

Scott stopped and looked at her as Braeden continued on. Isabel stopped next to Scott. “That’s comforting,” she muttered before following Braeden.

Once inside the church, Scott stopped Braeden. “I’m catching a scent.”

“Kate?”

“No. Something else.” Braeden pumped her shotgun while Isabel broke a candlestick in half. The other two turned as the two halves rippled and became daggers. Braeden knew about that particular talent of hers but hadn’t actually seen her do it. She raised a brow.

“What? Do you think I’m going in there unarmed?” Isabel asked. Scott chuckled.

“That’s a handy trick,” Braeden commented.

“It can be.”

 

~~~

 

Stiles was crouched in the engine block, trying to find out why the Jeep wouldn’t start. Lydia was holding the flashlight for him while Malia and Kira were looking over the area around them. “Will you stop shaking the flashlight so much?” Stiles said.

“I’m shaking it so much because we’re in the middle of nowhere and I’m slightly terrified.”

“Well, try being slightly less terrified.” He held a part out to her. “Here. Hold this.”

Lydia took the part. “What is it?”

“I don’t know. I’m hoping it’s not important.”

“Oh, God.”

Kira walked back to the Jeep and used her katana to give Malia more light. Something ducked behind a rock. “Did you see that?” Kira asked. Stiles and Lydia looked up. Malia suddenly roared and took off.

“Malia!” Stiles called. Kira took off after Malia. “Kira!” Stiles started to do the same.

“Oh no you don’t,” Lydia said. “You get your ass back in there and fix that Jeep!”

 

~~~

 

Isabel and Scott kept looking over their shoulders.

“Why do you two keep doing that?” Braeden asked.

“I keep feeling like we’re being followed,” Isabel answered.

“So do I,” Scott confirmed.

“Do you two smell anything?”

“I can scent to a point. I’m a Valkyrie, not a werewolf.”

“It’s the same scent I caught when we came in.”

A growl echoed through the halls. Isabel spun around, her daggers up. “Please tell me you heard that.”

“Yeah,” Scott said. Braeden raised her shot gun as they heard something charging towards them. Isabel’s eyes began to glow as it drew closer.

 

~~~

 

Stiles had finally fixed the Jeep and Kira and an injured Malia returned. They were now currently heading towards La Iglesia.

“Don’t ever do that again!” Stiles said.

“Do what?” Malia asked from the front passenger seat.

“I thought you were running.”

“I was running.”

“I meant away. I thought you were leaving.”

“I’d never leave you.”

“Really?”

“Never.” She looked at Lydia and Kira. “Them I would.” She gave them a wink and a grin, causing Kira to giggle and Lydia to roll her eyes. “But I would never leave you behind.”

“Aww.”

Lydia leaned forward. “That doesn’t look like it’s healing.”

Malia had a gash on her side from whatever she’d chased. “It is. I can feel it.”

“Did you see it?” Stiles asked.

“No, it was too dark. But I did catch a scent.”

“What kind of scent?”

“Like death.”

 

~~~

 

Isabel hit the wall and dropped a dagger.

“Where is it!” Braeden cried as Isabel retrieved her dagger and regained her feet.

“I don’t know!” Scott cried. “I can’t see it!”

“What the hell is that thing!?” Isabel cried.

“How the hell should I know?”

“You’re the one working for Hunters.”

“It’s coming back.”

“Scott, get behind me!”

Instead, Scott took a step forward. The creature, which looked like it was covered in bones, was charging towards them again. Scott took a deep breath and gave a long and loud roar. Isabel and Braeden both covered their ears as the creature slid to a stop and then turned and ran as fast as it could back the way it came. Scott staggered a step before turning back to the women. “I think I scared it.”

“I think you scared everything,” Braeden retorted. Part of the wall collapsed behind them. The three looked at one another before Braeden walked towards a relief in the wall.

“What’s that?” Isabel slipped the daggers into a pair of holders at the back of her belt that Scott hadn’t noticed before now.

“It’s the jaguar god.”

Isabel ran her fingers over the carvings as Scott put his ear against it. “I think we found Derek,” he said. “Stand back.”

Isabel didn’t move and Braeden only took one step back. Scott punched through the wall, revealing a space behind the wall. He gave a second punch and Isabel and Braeden stepped in and began pulling part of the wall out. Braeden shined the light into the hole. All three looked shocked as a teenaged boy raised his hand to block the light from his eyes.

“Oh my God,” Scott breathed.

The boy looked disorientated as Isabel reached in and took an arm while Scott took the other. Together they pulled him to freedom. Isabel’s heart nearly stopped when she looked into the boy’s olive green eyes. The very same eyes that attracted her to Derek. “We have to get him back,” she said.

Scott nodded and he and Isabel draped the boy’s arms over their shoulders.

 

~~~

 

Stiles pulled up in front of the church as Braeden stepped through the doors. Stiles, Malia, Kira and Lydia exited the Jeep and ran towards her as Scott and Isabel walked out with a teenager between them. The four stopped and looked at one another. Lydia and Kira looked at one another, confused.

“Who’s that?” Malia asked.

“Derek,” Stiles answered. “Sorta.”

Derek Hale didn’t look like he knew any of them as he looked over each of them. Before promptly passing out. Scott and Isabel carried him to the Jeep and Stiles retrieved a blanket. Lydia wrapped the blanket around the now unconscious and teenaged Derek.

Isabel placed a hand on his cheek. “What did she do to him?” she whispered.

“Maybe Deaton will know,” Stiles suggested. “If we go all night and tomorrow, we’ll make it back to Beacon Hills early Monday morning.”

“That’s if we leave now,” Scott said.

“Yeah.”

“I’ll ride back with Isabel. We have to leave now.” Scott pulled on Isabel’s belt loop as Malia hopped into the back seat with her cousin. Lydia sat on the other side of him and Kira took shotgun.

“I’ll see if I can track Kate in the morning,” Braeden said. “I hope your Druid can reverse this.” Isabel revved her motorcycle.

“I hope so too.” Scott climbed on behind Isabel as Stiles turned the Jeep around.


	4. Young Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deaton tries to figure out what happened to Derek. Deaton, Lydia, and Isabel discover the extent of his age regression

It was raining by the time they reached Beacon Hills. Kira had to be home and she knew she was already going to be in trouble for being home so late on a school night. Isabel headed to the clinic while Stiles dropped off Kira.

Dr. Alan Deaton was already waiting. He opened the door for Isabel. “Where’s the others?” he asked.

“They had to drop Kira off since she was past her curfew.”

“You were pretty vague when you called.”

“I had to be. It was Kate that took Derek, not the Calaveras. And you’re not going to believe what she did to him.”

“I take it you found him?”

“So to speak.”

They heard the Jeep pull up then. Isabel went to the door to open it for them as Deaton cleared off an exam table. Scott laid Derek on the table, who was still out cold. Deaton finally looked at Derek once they had him settled and he froze, blinking in surprise.

“Wow,” he said after a moment.

“Told you,” Isabel said.

“Wow?” Stiles asked. “Wow as in ‘I’ve seen this before and I know exactly what to do’ kind of wow? Because that’s the kind of wow we’re looking for.”

“You might be overestimating my abilities.” Deaton looked at Isabel. “Where did you find him?”

“Behind a relief of the ancient Aztec jaguar god.” She motioned to Derek. “We found him in all his teenaged glory.” Stiles opened his mouth. “One smartassed quip about robbing the cradle from you and you’re going to find yourself across the room.” Stiles immediately closed his mouth, causing a giggle to come out of Malia.

“He’s really cold,” Lydia said. Deaton went to work checking his vitals and trying to find out why Derek was so cold.

“Do you think this is permanent?” Scott asked.

“I’m not sure a medical diagnosis is even adequate,” Deaton responded. “This is well beyond my experience.”

“Unless Kate found the Fountain of Youth, we have no idea how she even did this,” Isabel added. She brushed Derek’s hair out of his face.

“So what do we do?” Stiles asked.

“For now, nothing," Deaton responded. "Leave him here with me. It’s probably the safest place for him.”

Scott nodded. “Kate can’t get to him here once the gate is closed.”

“Why would she do this to him?” Malia asked.

“Knowing Kate,” Deaton said. “She probably did this for something that would only benefit her.”

“The question remains on what that could possibly be,” Isabel added. Malia yawned while Stiles stretched his neck. Scott looked like he was about to fall asleep standing up.

“You guys should probably go home,” Deaton said. “He doesn’t look to be in any danger right now. The rest of you should get some sleep. It is a school night.” Isabel smiled at Deaton being the parental figure he seemed to have settled into for as long as she’d known him. “You guys do need to start taking care of your own lives. And I’m sure Lindsey will want an update tomorrow.”

“Someone should stay with him for when he wakes up,” Scott said.

“What am I?” Isabel asked, drawing a laugh out of Lydia.

“If you’re insisting on someone staying,” Lydia said. “I can. I’m ahead in my classes anyway.”

“I’m not okay with this,” Stiles said.

“Get out, Stiles,” Isabel said. “Go to bed. And go to school tomorrow.”

When Stiles didn’t budge. Malia and Scott both grabbed an arm and dragged him towards the door. “Hey! No fair! You’re tag teaming!”

“I’m tired and I want to go home,” Malia said. Isabel chuckled as the two supernaturals dragged the human out.

 

~~~

 

Malia yawned again as she exited the elevator and headed towards the apartment she shared with her father. She didn’t bother to try to hide that she was coming home so late as she walked into the living room. Peter was asleep on the couch when she came in. Malia stopped and started walking quieter, not wanting to wake him up.

“Have a nice trip?” Peter suddenly asked. Malia froze as Peter sat up. “You could have left a note. I had to find out from Argent that you went to Mexico.”

“Sorry.”

“Did you find Derek?”

“Sorta.”

“Sorta? How do you sorta find someone?”

“It’s a long story and I have school tomorrow.” Malia started to turn away.

“Malia….”

Malia stopped and sighed. She then turned back to Peter. “Scott, Isabel, and Braeden found him in an Aztec temple behind a relief of the jaguar god wrapped in wolfsbane. He’s at the clinic right now, but he doesn’t remember anything. Or anyone for that matter.”

“Why would the Calaveras have him in an Aztec temple?”

“They didn’t. Kate did. Night, Dad.” Malia darted down the hall and into her room.

“Kate!?” Peter sighed. “Oh this is just lovely.”

 

~~~

 

Isabel had stayed up all night with Derek, wondering how this was possible. Lydia eventually fell asleep in a chair, Deaton covering her with his lab coat. The veterinarian Druid would check Derek’s vitals every hour. Dawn’s light finally peaked through the windows. Deaton was doing his hourly vital check when a concerned look came across his face.

“I don’t like that look,” Isabel said.

“His heart rate is alarmingly high.”

“High as in could go into a shift at any moment?” Lydia joined them.

Deaton had a thoughtful look come across his face. “I’m going to try something,” he said. “Lydia, hold his hand. Isabel, keep him from moving.” Deaton turned and picked up a scalpel and retrieved a blade from the surgery room.

“What are you doing?” Isabel asked.

“I’m testing something.” He dragged the blade down his arm, the wound instantly healing before even a drop of blood escaped.

“I’ve never seen a wolf heal that quickly,” Isabel commented.

“Neither have I,” Lydia agreed. “Even Scott doesn’t heal that fast.”

“Isabel, can you grab me a five-millimeter syringe?”

Isabel turned and went to the drawer Deaton kept the syringes stored. Deaton and Lydia followed her, Deaton looking through vials, Lydia watching. Isabel handed the syringe to Deaton before pausing. She looked over her shoulder to see Derek sitting up. “Derek?” she asked. The others turned. Lydia started to walk towards him but Isabel stopped her, seeing his claws had been extended.

“Are you alright?” Lydia asked. Derek looked at them with blue glowing eyes.

“This isn’t good.” Isabel stepped in front of Lydia. Derek was practically growling. He looked at Isabel and an odd look passed over his face.

“Derek, you’re safe,” Deaton said. Derek suddenly lunged, catching Deaton’s arm. Deaton went down with a cry, Lydia running to him.

“Derek!” Isabel took a step in front of the two and Derek swiped at her as well, catching her across the face. The momentum staggered her but before she could recover, Derek was out the door. Isabel darted after him, only to discover the gate was left open. The front door was swinging close. “Ah, crap.” Isabel ran out the door, but Derek was nowhere to be seen. She cursed under her breath. “I didn’t expect you to be this fast.” She turned and went back inside, feeling her healing abilities working.

Deaton was holding gauze to his arm. “You didn’t catch him?”

Isabel shook her head. “He’s faster than I expected him to be.”

“He got you too,” Lydia pointed out.

“It’s healing.” Isabel grabbed gauze and medical tape. “You need to call Scott. We’re going to need everyone to find him before Kate hooks her claws back in him.”


	5. Runaway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack searches for Derek.

Lindsey raised her brow. “Seriously?” The others had filled her in on their trip to Mexico. “And who’s Kate?”

“Kate is Chris’ sister,” Stiles explained. “She used to be a Hunter.”

“A Code breaking Hunter,” Isaac added. “She set the Hale fire, used Derek’s sister to lure him back to Beacon Hills, and then tried to kill him and Scott.”

“Before Peter killed her by ripping out her throat,” Scott finished.

Lindsey stopped. “Whoa, hold on. If she’s dead, then how in the holy hell did she kidnap Derek and turn him back into a teenager?”

“Peter was an Alpha at the time. One of the ways an Alpha can turn someone is by a deep enough scratch.”

“And I take it ripping out someone’s throat can do the trick?”

“It did in her case,” Stiles said. “Speaking of Peter,” Stiles turned towards Malia. “Does your dad know?”

“About Kate or about Derek?”

“Both.”

“Well, he knows Kate took Derek and that we found him, but he doesn’t know about Derek.”

“That’s just beautiful.” The bell rang.

“Just out of curiosity,” Lindsey asked as they headed to class. “Has anyone told Devin or Chris?”

“Not that I know of,” Scott responded.

“Don’t you think they should know?”

“I actually didn’t want to tell them until we figured out what happened to Derek.”

“Fair enough, but you know I’m going to tell Sean.”

Scott turned back towards Lindsey. “I don’t want your brother going out there and hunting Kate down.”

“He’s not stupid. He knows better than to go chasing down a werewolf by himself.”

“Jaguar,” Kira corrected. “Kate’s a jaguar.”

“Peter sure does make ever creature in the book, don’t he?” Lindsey said. “I think you’re the only one he got right.”

Isaac laughed. Scott shook his head with a smile. “We need to get to class.”

 

~~~

 

Scott, Stiles, Kira, and Malia sat in their history class as Kira’s father, Ken Yukimura, taught the class, talking about historical failures. All four were taking notes, Malia looking like a crazy person with a yellow highlighter in her mouth, a red highlighter in her hand highlighting her notes, and a pen in her other hand. Mr. Yukimura called on her to answer the question he just asked. All eyes were on her as she tried to figure out the answer. Scott's phone suddenly went off.

“Phones off, Scott.” Scott turned his phone to silent. Malia looked like she was about to go into panic mode. Stiles’ phone chirped. “Phones off. Everyone.” Malia had both of her highlighters in her mouth. Mr. Yukimura sighed. “Does anyone else know?” The entire class raised their hands and Malia tried to sink into her chair. Another phone went off. “I said phones off!”

“Dad,” Kira said. “That was yours.”

“Oh.” He went to the desk and looked at it, concern crossing his face. “Scott, call Lydia.” Scott and Stiles looked at each other. “After class.”

 

~~~

 

Lindsey walked out of class with Mason Hewett, chatting with her friend. His best friend, Liam Dunbar, was still trying to ask her out on a date and Lindsey was continuing to deny his request. Mason thought the whole thing funny.

Stiles suddenly ran up to them. “Lindsey! Hi!”

“What is it, Stiles?”

“Um, I kinda need to ask you something. Like right now. Away from other people.”

Lindsey rolled her eyes. “I’ll see you later, Mason.”

Mason looked at Stiles like he needed to be in Eichen House again. “Uh, okay. See you later.” Mason walked away, still giving Stiles the look.

“Can you act like a normal human being for once in your life?” Lindsey asked once Mason was out of earshot.

“We need to go to the clinic. Like thirty minutes ago.” He grabbed her wrist and started walking.

“Stiles, I can walk. But if you don’t stop dragging me, you won’t be able to.” Stiles took her threat seriously and let go.

She followed him to the parking lot, where Scott was already waiting. “Why are you bringing Lindsey?” he asked.

“Immunity.”

Lindsey rolled her eyes again, but climbed into the back of the Jeep. “Mind giving me an explanation on why I’m skipping classes?”

 

~~~

 

Isabel was still tending to Deaton’s arm when Scott, Stiles, and Lindsey walked in.

“What happened?” Lindsey asked.

“Derek freaked out,” Isabel explained. “He doesn’t know any of us at all.”

“I don’t think he’s just younger in body,” Deaton said as Isabel finished tending to his arm. “I think he’s younger in mind too. Like Isabel said, he didn’t know any of us.”

“If he remembered anyone, he should have known his girlfriend,” Stiles said.

“He looked like he was scared out of his mind,” Lydia added.

“So if you’re a teenaged werewolf and you’re scared, where do you go?”

“Where would a natural wolf go?” Lindsey mused.

“It’s den.” Isabel said. “He went home.”

“To the loft?” Scott asked.

“Did you not listen to what they said?” Lindsey said. “He didn’t go to the loft. He went to the Hale House.”

“We need to find him before he gets there.” They all knew that young Derek would completely flip out once he saw the ruins the house was now in. The county had finally demolished it after the incident with Kenton, no doubt tired of all the trespassing and murder that had been occurring around it. Isabel turned to Scott. “Do you have his scent?”

 

~~~

 

Deputies Lou Haigh and Jordan Parrish headed towards the old Hale house. They’d received a call about a teenager trespassing on the property again and just sitting there.

“I really wish these kids would quit going to the Hale house,” Haigh griped. “How many people have to get hurt or killed there before they get it through their heads that it’s dangerous?”

“They’re kids,” Parrish said from the passenger side. “Teenagers always push their limits and see how far they can go.”

“These kids are stupid. Like the one we’re going to pick up now.”

“You don’t like kids do you?”

“I don’t like smart mouthed, know-it-all teenagers.”

“You were a teenager once. Or were you hatched full grown?”

“I kept my nose clean.”

Parrish shook his head. “Must not have been anything to do in your town.”

They pulled up to the fence around the house. Parrish was on the fence about the house being torn down. He’d known for most of his life about the true nature of the world, but kept that knowledge to himself. As far as anyone knew, he’d been clueless about Beacon Hills until Stilinski allowed him to help look for a missing Derek and Isabel. Sean was the only one who knew about his true nature, the former Procurer witnessing it first hand and giving his word not to tell the others. The two deputies exited the SUV and headed to the fence, Parrish immediately noticing the fencing torn off the frame. They stepped through the frame and walked towards a teenager sitting on the stone foundation, a piece of wood standing upright in his hand.

“Excuse me, young man?” Parrish called as they approached.

Haigh scoffed a snicker. “You’re calling him young man?” he asked, an amused look on his face.

“Shut up, Haigh.” Haigh snickered again. He was constantly making quips about Parrish’s youthful appearance. Parrish had heard them all his life. He was 24, but looked like he should still be in high school. “Sorry, but you can’t be here.”

The teenager didn’t respond.

“Hey, dumbass,” Haigh said. “Ever hear of ‘no trespassing’?”

“This is my house,” the teenager finally responded, turning his head towards them. Parrish could see the lost and scared look in his olive eyes.

“Nobody’s been here for years, kid. Now get the hell out of here.”

“Haigh,” Parrish scolded. “Maybe a slightly gentler touch?” He turned his attention back to the teenager. “Are you alright? We can help you if something is wrong.”

“What happened to my house?” He looked over the ruins of the house. “Where’s my family? Where’s my mother?”

“All right,” Haigh strode over to the teen. “Let’s go. Now.” He grabbed his arm roughly, which seemed to set the teen off. He quickly twisted out of Haigh’s grip before grabbing his arm and twisting. Haigh gave a cry of pain and surprise.

“Hold on, just take it easy,” Parrish said, putting his hand on the teen’s shoulder. The teen spun around and Parrish took a step back. The angry look on his face seemed somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t place it. Behind him, Parrish saw Haigh take out his taser. “Haigh, don’t! Wait!” Haigh didn’t listen and shoved the taser into the boy’s side. The teen gave a cry. “Haigh!” Haigh kept shoving the taser against the teenager’s side when he didn’t go down the first two times. “Haigh, stand down!” It wasn’t until Haigh shoved the taser into the boy’s chest that he went down. Parrish could have sworn he heard him growl before he fell. Haigh slapped cuffs on him and read him his rights. Parrish rubbed the bridge of his nose before following.

 

~~~

 

Stiles turned up the volume on his police scanner. He, Scott, Lindsey, and Isabel were in his Jeep, speeding towards the Hale house. Isabel had only agreed to use the Jeep because of the scanner.

“ _Haigh to dispatch._ ”

“ _Go ahead for dispatch._ ”

 _"Trespasser was a teen boy. He got violent with us when we tried to vacate him from the property. We’re bringing him in."_  

“ _10-4, Deputy._ ”

“Crap,” Isabel said from the backseat. “He got to the house first.”

“How do you know?” Stiles asked.

“Teen boy. Got violent. Sound like anyone we know?”

“She has a point,” Scott said. “Peter said he changed after Paige. I wouldn’t be surprised if he got upset and angry at seeing the house in ruins.”

"Then we need to get to the station before your dad sees whose prints that kid matches,” Isabel said. They all knew Derek’s prints would be in the database. Stiles stomped on the gas.


	6. Miguel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isabel recruits Devin to help the pack find answers. Stiles and Lindsey keep an eye on Derek.

Stiles led the way into the Sheriff’s Office, practically running.

“Dude, he’s not going anywhere.” Lindsey said. Stiles ran through the door, then abruptly stopped. Lindsey ran into Scott’s back when he stopped. Isabel pushed the three of them forward and saw why Stiles had stopped. Derek was sitting on the bench in front of Stilinski’s office, Stilinski, Parrish, and another deputy looking at the same computer. Parrish was looking confused at Derek, while Stilinski looked like he was trying to figure out a puzzle. Stilinski looked over at them before the look changed to an “Of course” look.

He looked back at his deputies. “I’ll handle this,” he said. He pointed at the four members of the pack and then his office.

“Does that mean we’re in trouble?” Lindsey asked.

“No, probably just these two,” Isabel said. “And probably me, too.” Lindsey giggled as they walked into the office. Isabel saw Derek giving her the same odd look he had back at the clinic, like he was trying to figure something out.

Stilinski shut the door once everyone was inside. He went around to his desk and leaned against it. “Guys,” he said slowly. “I want you to be honest with me. Absolutely and completely honest with me.” Everyone nodded. Stilinski looked everyone over. “Have you been time traveling?”

Isabel gave him an amused look. “Time traveling?” she asked. “Really? That’s what you went with?”

“Because if time traveling is real, you know what? I’m done. I’m out. You’re going to be driving _me_ to Eichen House.”

“This isn’t Doctor Who.” Stilinski gave Isabel a look. “Trust me. There was no time traveling involved.”

“We found him like that,” Scott said.

“Where? Swimming in the Fountain of Youth?”

“That would actually have been better than what really happened,” Isabel said.

“No, we found him buried in a tomb of wolfsbane,” Stiles offered. “In an Aztec temple in Mexico underneath a church in the middle of a town that was destroyed by an earthquake.” Stilinski glared at Stiles for a moment.

“Uh oh,” Isabel muttered under her breath.

“You told me you were camping!”

“Yeah, we were. In Mexico.”

Stilinski turned his attention to Isabel. “You dragged these kids to Mexico to look for your boyfriend?” Isabel could hear the barely contained anger in his voice.

“I didn’t drag them anywhere. If it was up to me, I would have gone alone.” Stiles and Scott looked at her. “Of course knowing these two, they would have followed me anyway.”

Lindsey raised her hand. “Uh, I wasn’t involved,” she said. “I’m just here for moral support.”

Isabel scoffed a laugh.

“Derek’s been aged backwards,” Scott said. “He can’t remember anything.”

“Or anyone,” Isabel added.

“We need to talk to him,” Stiles said.

Stilinski sighed. “Well, so far he hasn’t talked to anyone.”

Scott looked over his shoulder at Derek through the window, Isabel wondering when he started his habit of eavesdropping. “He’ll talk to me,” he said.

“Why? Because you’re the Alpha?” Lindsey asked.

“Derek’s a young Beta,” Isabel said. “He’s scared and he can’t find his own Alpha.” She looked at him through the window. “He can’t find Talia,” She turned back towards Stilinski. “It’s the only chance we have.”

Stilinski nodded. “You’re right.” He pushed off his desk and retrieved Derek.

 

~~~

 

Derek kept his eyes on Isabel as he sat on the couch. Isabel suddenly wondered what the wolves saw when they looked at her with their wolf eyes with the way Derek kept looking at her like she was a puzzle to be solved.

“There was an accident,” Scott was explaining. “You lost some memory, but we can help you get it back.”

“How much memory?”

“A lot,” Isabel answered.

“But you can trust us.” Lindsey added.

“Why should I trust you?” Scott answered by kneeling front of Derek and flashing his red eyes. The look on Derek’s face changed. “You’re an Alpha.” Scott nodded. “Who are you? And who are they?”

“We’re the guys keeping you out of jail,” Stiles answered.

Isabel sat next to Derek. “Derek, let us help you,” she said. “We’re the only ones who can.” She started to put her hand on his arm. He jerked away from her.

“No.”

Isabel was sure he heard her heart hiccup.

“You almost tore apart a couple of cops,” Lindsey said. “We can’t help you if you kill someone.”

“You need to listen to us,” Stiles said. “That starts with no fangs, no claws, no wolf man. You got that?”

“At least where nobody that doesn’t already know about werewolves can see.”

“You’re not helping, Lindsey,” Isabel said.

“I’m fine as long as it’s not the full moon,” Derek said.

Lindsey pulled out her phone and pulled up her lunar calendar.

“You have trouble with the full moon?” Scott asked.

“I said I’m fine.”

“He’s fine for the next week,” Lindsey confirmed.

“So you coming with us or not?” Stiles asked.

“You want me to trust you?” Derek looked at Scott. “Where’s my family?”

Scott, Stiles, Isabel, and Lindsey looked at one another. “There was a fire,” Scott said slowly. He looked into Derek’s eyes and found he couldn’t tell him the truth. “They’re not here anymore. They’re fine.” Stiles, Isabel, and Lindsey looked at Scott. “Just had to move out of Beacon Hills.”

“We’ll take you to them,” Lindsey went with the lie. “As soon as we figure out how to get your memories back.”

“Yeah.”

Derek looked at them for a moment before he nodded. “Okay.”

 

~~~

 

Isabel and Scott left with instructions for Stiles and Lindsey to keep an eye on Derek while they went to Peter to figure out Kate’s motive. The clinic wasn’t too far away so they walked.

“Scott, I need to ask you something,” Isabel suddenly asked.

“What?”

“What do you see when you look at me as a wolf?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean what does my aura look like? Derek,” The name caught in her throat and Scott stopped. “Derek has been looking at me like he’s been trying to figure out what I am since the incident with Deaton.”

“I’m sorry, Isabel. I didn’t stop to think about how hard this could be on you. I’m dragging you everywhere.”

“I’m in this with you. I want to find a way to get _my_ Derek back, but what if he’s stuck as a teenager now? What if he…,” Isabel trailed off.

Scott took her by the shoulders. “We’ll find a way, Isabel. We’ll get Derek back. And you glow.”

“What?”

“You’ve always had a white aura around you, but it got brighter after you died. I’m assuming it’s because of that ability you have. Devin doesn’t have an aura at all.”

Isabel fell quiet. “No wonder he was looking at me funny.” She bite her lip.

Scott suddenly pulled her into a hug. “We’ll get him back, Isabel. I promise.”

 

~~~

 

“Peter and Malia are going to meet us at the loft,” Scott said, slipping his phone into his pocket.

“We need more eyes on this,” Isabel said. “We’re going to have to tell Devin.”

“Isabel.”

“Devin has premonitions, remember? Maybe he saw something that can give us an idea on what Kate is after. Why she did this to him.”

Scott slowly nodded, realizing she was right. “Alright. I’ll see you at the loft.” He revved his bike and took off, Isabel following him out of the parking lot. They split off from each other and Isabel headed towards the apartment building Devin Greene lived in.

 

She hit the button for his floor, hoping he could help them. She quickly exited the elevator as soon as the door opened and all but ran down the hall and knocked on his door.

“Please be home,” she whispered. She knocked again. “Come on, Devin.” She raised her hand to knock again when the door opened.

Devin immediately stepped aside. “What’s wrong?”

“I have good and bad news,” Isabel said as Devin closed the door. “Good news is, we found Derek in Mexico.”

“I have a feeling that’s actually part of the bad news,” he said. “You would be a lot happier than this.”

“He can’t remember anything. He’s been aged backwards.”

“What do you mean aged backwards?”

“He’s fifteen, sixteen again. Literally. Mind and body.”

“I’m going to assume the Calaveras didn’t have him after all.”

Isabel shook her head. “A woman named Kate did. A former Hunter turned jaguar. Someone from his past.”

“Chris’ sister, Kate?”

Isabel looked at him. “How did you know about that?”

“Chris told me about her. I thought you guys ran her out of town.”

“She came back for Derek. We just don’t know how she managed to turn him back to a teenager and why.” Isabel sighed. “Scott, Peter, and Malia are meeting us at the loft. We need your help.”

“You know I can’t turn my premonitions on and off, right?”

Isabel looked down. “I know. Have you seen anything?”

Devin shook his head. “Nothing.”

Isabel deflated. “We…we still need your help. Maybe you can help us figure out her motives.”

“Of course.” Devin grabbed his keys off the hall table and the two left.

 

Devin looked at Isabel while they waited for the elevator. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“For what?”

“This is killing you. To have Derek back but for him not to remember who you are.”

“It’ll be fine. We’ll get the real him back.” They stepped into the elevator.

“You don’t have to pretend with me, Isabel.” Devin pressed the button for the ground floor. “I don’t have to be a wolf to hear your heart breaking and see how much this is hurting you.”

Isabel pinched the bridge of her nose and Devin could see it was taking everything for her not to break down in the elevator. “I… I can’t lose him, Devin. I can’t lose him to this. I can’t… I can’t lose him to Kate.” She shook her head.

“I don’t want to see this break you.”

The tears Isabel was trying to hold back spilled out her eyes. “It already has,” she sobbed.

Devin pulled her close to him as she broke down in the elevator, her tears wetting his shoulder. “We’ll find a way to reverse this, Isabel,” he whispered. “I’ll do whatever I can to help you get Derek back.”

 

~~~

 

Stiles unlocked the McCall’s front door and walked in.

“How do you have a key to Scott’s house?” Lindsey asked.

“I’ve had it a long time. Melissa didn’t like me coming through the window.”

“Really? Wonder why?”

Derek smirked, hearing the sarcasm.

“And since my dad is now dating his mom, that kinda makes us brothers.”

“Weren’t you kinda brothers already?”

“I think she has you on that one,” Derek quipped.

“Nobody asked you.” Lindsey gave a laugh. “We’re just going to wait here for Scott. We’re going to sit quietly.”

“Do you even know how to sit quietly?”

Stiles gave Lindsey a look, Derek with an amused look on his face. “You’re doing this on purpose.”

“Duh.”

“We’re not going to call or talk to anyone.”

“Do I talk to you?” Derek asked.

“No.”

“Lindsey?”

“Yes,” Lindsey said.

“No!” Stiles said. “I said nobody!”

“Who’s going to talk to him?” Derek motioned into the kitchen.

Stiles turned then jumped. Rafe McCall had just walked into the kitchen with a bag of take-out. “Are you getting taller?” he said, drawing a giggle out of Lindsey.

“What are you guys doing here?” Rafe asked.

“We’re waiting for Scott,” Derek answered.

“Yeah, so am I. We’re supposed to have dinner.”

“You are?” Lindsey asked.

“Just because Melissa is dating Noah now doesn’t mean I can’t come to the house and see my son.” Rafe set the bag down on the table. “I brought extra. You guys hungry?”

“Yes,” Lindsey and Derek said together.

“No, we’re not hungry,” Stiles said at the same time.

“No, I’m starving,” Derek countered.

“None of us are hungry.”

“Speak for yourself.” Lindsey said.

Rafe shook his head, already used to Stiles antics. “Well, if you’re not hungry Stiles, Lindsey and your friend can still eat with us.”

“Ha!”

Stiles gave Lindsey a look.

“What’s your name?”

Derek opened his mouth to answer.

“Miguel,” Stiles answered for him. Derek and Lindsey looked at Stiles. “My cousin Miguel.” He put his arm around Derek and Lindsey managed to keep from facepalming. “From Mexico.” Rafe nodded, then asked “Miguel” something in Spanish. “Oh, my God.”

Lindsey was sure they were going to be in trouble. Until Derek answered in fluent Spanish. Lindsey snickered. She had no idea Derek knew Spanish. “Fantastic,” Rafe turned back to the table. “Egg roll?”

“Hell yeah.” Derek walked over to the table.

“What the hell just happened?” Stiles asked.

“You should have seen the look on your face,” Lindsey laughed as she joined Derek and Rafe. Lindsey knew that Scott’s dad was well aware of Beacon Hills’ secret, but Stiles seemed to not want him to know about Derek.

“Shrimp fried rice or pork fried rice?” Rafe was asking.

“Fantastic!” Stiles said.

“Shut up and eat an egg roll.”


	7. Learning the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack tries to figure out Kate's motives. Lydia makes a prediction

Stiles couldn’t be any more obvious in his nervousness. Luckily, Rafe completely ignored it as they ate.

“So, Miguel,” he said. “What did you say your last name was again?”

“It’s Juarez,” Stiles answered, earning a look from both Derek and Rafe. Lindsey kicked him in the shin. “Ow!”

“Miguel doesn’t need a translator,” she said. “He speaks English.”

Derek smirked. “Thank you, Lindsey,” he said. Lindsey gave him a smile. Derek dug back into his rice, then noticed Rafe’s badge sitting on the table. “Mr. McCall, you’re an FBI Agent?”

Lindsey froze.

“He’s low level,” Stiles immediately said. “Very low level. He doesn’t even have a voice.”

“So do you investigate murders?”

“Sometime,” Rafe answered. “When it’s a federal crime.”

“What about fires?”

Lindsey started coughing.

“Lindsey? You okay?” She left the table and went to grab a glass.

“I wonder where Scott is,” Stiles said. “Shouldn’t Scott be here by now? We should call Scott.” Stiles took his phone out of his pocket and started scrolling.

“What kind of fires are we talking about?”

“Do you know anything about the Hale family?”

“Oh, we’re so dead,” Lindsey muttered.

 

~~~

 

Rafe revealed the truth about the Hales to Derek, despite Stiles and Lindsey trying to distract Derek from Rafe’s explanation. Derek glared at Stiles after Rafe revealed that almost everyone had been killed in the fire.

“Oh no,” Lindsey breathed.

Derek grabbed Stiles by the back of his neck. “Can I have a word with you, cousin?” Stiles looked at Lindsey for help as Derek dragged him upstairs.

“What the hell is going on?” Rafe asked.

Lindsey sighed. “Okay, he’s not really Stiles’ cousin, but the less you know the better we can protect him.”

“Lindsey.”

“He’s related to the Hales. Um, he had an accident and is suffering from amnesia. We kinda lied to him about the Hales. He was scared and freaked out and we didn’t want him to freak out even more.”

“Oh. So that’s why Stiles is acting stranger than usual?”

“Pretty much.” Rafe sighed. Lindsey looked up at the thump upstairs. “I’m going to check on them.” Lindsey retreated upstairs.

“I don’t want to talk to you.” Derek was saying as she approached Scott’s room. “I want to talk to the Alpha. I’ll talk to Scott.”

“Okay,” Stiles backed out of the room. “I’m going to go get him. My phone’s downstairs. I’m going to call him real quick.” He jumped when he saw Lindsey. “Holy God! Are you part werewolf?”

Lindsey chuckled. “You shouldn’t be so jumpy.”

Stiles gave her a dirty look. “Okay, you sit right there and talk to Lindsey then and I’ll be right back.” Stiles took off towards the stairs. Lindsey shook her head as she walked into the room. Derek was sitting on the bed. He didn’t say anything as she sat next to him.

“I’m sorry we didn’t tell you the truth, Derek,” she said. “We just didn’t want to freak you out even more.”

“You said you’d take me to my family when I got my memories back. Scott said they moved away. Was that lies too?”

“Not exactly. You do still have living family, but we need to wait until we figure out how to get your memories back.”

“Why? Why can’t I see them now?”

“Because they live out of town. And I think you would be happier if you have all the memories with them.” Derek nodded. “I hope you’ll forgive us for it. We were just trying to protect you.”

“I want to talk to Scott about it.”

Lindsey smiled and put her hand on his arm. “Alright. I’ll go see if Stiles has gotten ahold of him yet.”

 

~~~

 

Isabel and Devin finally arrived at the loft after she finally regained her composure.

“Glad you could join us,” Peter said, sarcastically.

“Had a little trouble with the elevator,” Devin lied.

“Well, it is old,” Malia said. Isabel nodded.

“Look, Isabel told me what happened, but I’m probably not going to be much more help than she is in the matter.”

“You didn’t see anything that could help?” Scott asked.

Devin shook his head. “If I had, you wouldn’t have gone to the Calaveras and accused them of taking Derek. You would have gone to them for their help.” Scott sighed.

“Alright then,” Peter mused. “We just need to figure out the what and why in this scenario. What does she want and why did she do this?”

“We’ve been asking that question since we found him in that Aztec temple,” Isabel said.

Peter pressed a finger to his lips. “Have you seen his eyes?”

“His wolf eyes? Yes.”

“What color were they?”

“Blue.”

“So after Paige, but before the fire.” Peter turned to them. “Derek met Kate not too long after that.”

“She turned him so he would trust her again,” Isabel deduced. “She’s using him again.”

“But why?” Scott asked.

“I would have said for the medallion, but she’s in full control of her shifts.”

“Is there anything else in the vault that Kate knows about that she would want?” Isabel asked. “What would Derek have told her?”

“I… I really don’t know,” Peter admitted. “He never told Paige that he was a werewolf. She didn’t know until the night she died. By the time he met Kate, our relationship had changed. He kinda blamed me for Paige’s death since I arraigned for the Bite.”

“But you knew about Kate?” Malia asked.

“He did tell me about her. But I didn’t know she was an Argent at the time. I don’t know if Derek really knew either.”

“You said Derek met Kate not long after Paige died,” Devin said. “Did the Argents know the Hales were werewolves?”

“Yeah, Gerard worked to find a way around the Code to wipe us out. His wife would never allow him to act on his hatred. When she died, the mantel went to Victoria and she wouldn’t allow it either based on the fact that they couldn’t prove any of us took a human life.”

“So Kate used an emotionally vulnerable teenaged boy to get to the Hales on her father’s behalf,” Isabel said. “She got close to him and betrayed him.”

“It’s why Derek hated the Argents so much,” Scott concluded.

Peter nodded. “Laura had been tracking down leads and the Argents were the only suspects, but she couldn’t prove it. By the time I went psycho, as Stiles likes to put it, she’d found out who was involved except for the mastermind.”

“And you killed her before she could find out.”

Peter nodded again. “Regrettably.”

“But we still don’t know what she wants,” Isabel said. “There has to be a reason she wanted Derek to trust her.”

Scott’s phone went off and he looked down. “It’s Stiles.” He took a step away from the others to talk to his best friend.

“Is there anything that could be valuable to Kate in the vault?” Malia asked.

Peter thought for a minute. “I’m not exactly sure what Kate would consider valuable.”

Devin suddenly leaned over the table, three fingers pressed against his forehead, a look of pain on his face. “Isabel.”

Isabel looked over at the other Valkyrie, immediately recognized that he was about to have a vision. She went over to him. “You need to sit before it takes over.” She quickly guided him over to the couch.

“What’s going on?” Malia asked.

“Devin’s about to have a premonition. Move the coffee table.” Peter moved the table right as Devin’s eyes seemed to roll into the back of his head.

 

_Derek was looking through boxes on shelves while Kate wandered around looking at the relics the Hales had collected over the years. She opened a jar full of dried leaves and took a whiff. She made a face before replacing the lid and putting it back. Derek opened a box and saw it contained a necklace with a blue stone. A puzzled look came across his face, as he didn’t recognize it. He put it back and opened the box next to it. He took the box and turned around as Kate was reaching for the handle of a safe that was sitting on a table nearby._

_"Not that.” Kate froze and looked like a kid who had just been caught stealing cookies out of the cookie jar. Derek walked over to Kate and held open the box._

_Kate took the triskilion medallion out of the box. “This is it? This will help me learn control?”_

_"Yeah.” Derek looked like a little puppy._

_Kate smiled at him and put her hand on his cheek. “Have I ever told you how adorable you look when you give me that look?” Derek gave a smile. “But I have to tell you something.”_

_“What?”_

_“I don’t need to learn control.” She grabbed Derek’s hair and slammed his head on the table the safe was sitting on hard enough to knock him unconscious. Derek fell to the cold stone floor. Kate tossed the medallion onto the ground next to him. “I just needed to get into the vault.” She started going through boxes before she found what she was looking for. She picked up the necklace. “I knew your girlfriend would hide it here.” She stuffed the Eye of Odin into her pocket. “See you around, handsome.” Kate turned and walked towards the stairs._

 

Devin blinked several times as his eyes focused on the faces around him. He could feel Isabel’s arms around him and realized she’d held onto him when his ability took him. “You can let go, Isabel.” Isabel released him.

“What did you see?” Peter asked.

“Kate wants the Eye.”

“How the hell did she know about it?” Isabel asked. Devin shrugged.

“Are you sure that’s what she’s after?” Peter asked.

“She’s using Derek to get into the vault. I think she’s going to make him think she needs to learn control, then she’s going to attack him and take the Eye.”

Isabel cursed.

“Guys,” Scott said. “We need to get to the vault now.” All eyes turned to the Alpha. “Kate found him at my house and he just left with her.”

 

~~~

 

Stiles dodged a punch from Lindsey. “Why the hell are you punching me for? You were with him last!”

“You were supposed to come right back! He left with her because we lied to him. He doesn’t trust us because we did! And it was your freaking idea to lie to him.”

“Okay you have me there.” Lindsey gave a frustrated grunt and stormed towards the stairs. “Where are you going?”

“I’m either going to find Scott or Sean. Haven’t decided yet.”

“Did you forget that I drove?”

“I can hotwire that piece of crap.”

“You’re not hotwiring my Jeep.” The two argued as they went downstairs.

Rafe only looked up at them and shook his head as they headed to the door. “If you two are meeting up with Scott, tell him dinner will be waiting for him in the fridge.” Rafe then walked into the living room, carrying a toolbox.

Lindsey and Stiles stopped arguing and looked at each other. “Okay, then,” Stiles said, noting how Rafe was treating their shenanigans like a typical Monday. Stiles opened the door and gave a screech.

“Are you trying your hand at being a Banshee?” Lindsey asked, rubbing her ear. Kira was poised to knock and Lydia was likewise rubbing her ear. The kitsune looked at Lindsey. “He’s been doing this crap all night.”

“Oh.”

“We need to go to the school,” Lydia said.

“Why the school?”

“Because Derek is going to die if we don’t.”


	8. Heist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isabel, Scott, and Malia find themselves in a fight for their lives. Peter and Devin race to save Derek.

Derek led Kate to the high school.

“The high school? Really?” Kate asked.

“Yeah.” Derek opened the door of her car and stepped out. It was dark which gave them a greater chance of not being seen. Hundreds of scents from the students assaulted his nose, but none were fresher than several hours. Derek looked around, wondering where the night security guard was. The school usually employed two along with a night janitor. Derek had always been able to avoid all three because he knew their scents, but he couldn’t catch their scents.

“Let’s go find this vault, handsome.” They walked across campus passing through the tunnel between the lacrosse field and the school. Derek suddenly stopped, a feeling like he was doing something wrong washing over him. Kate realized he’d stopped and turned back towards him. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I don’t know about this,” Derek answered. “I’m not supposed to show the vault to anyone outside the family.”

Kate took his hand. “Come on, we talked about this.”

“Yeah, but how do you even know?”

“Because you told me. Don’t you remember?” Derek shook his head. Kate looked into his eyes. “Tell me if you remember this?” She then kissed Derek, but it didn’t feel like it did before. There was something different. Something off. And it wasn’t just because Kate was one of them now. Kate pulled Derek close to her. “We get inside the vault,” she whispered into his ear. “We get the triskelion. And then everything goes back to normal.”

“That’s all you want?”

Kate nodded. “That’s all we need. But right now, we have to get inside the vault.”

Derek sighed, then nodded. Kate was probably the only person he could trust. Besides Scott. He felt he could completely trust the Alpha, even though he barely knew him. But why was he having doubts about Kate? When did he tell Kate about the vault? He led her to the school sign. “It’s over here,” he said.

“Why would your family build a vault under a high school?”

“The vault was here first.” Derek flicked out his claws and inserted them into a strange symbol on the side. The symbol popped out slightly and Derek turned it right, left, and then right again. The sound of stone grinding against stone was heard as the sign turned, revealing a set of stairs leading beneath it. Kate looked at Derek before they descended the stairs into the vault, the young werewolf not seeing the sly smile on Kate’s lips.

 

~~~

 

Peter, Malia, Scott, and the two Valkyries arrived at the school and were following Peter to the vault. They were running up the stairs when Malia suddenly stopped, a strange look on her face.

Scott turned once he realized she had stopped. “Did you catch a scent?” he asked.

“It’s the same one?” Malia turned, sniffing the air. “The same one as Mexico.”

“What is she talking about?” Peter asked.

“Oh no,” Isabel whispered. Devin looked at Isabel as Scott sniffed the air.

“It’s the scent I picked up in the Church ruins. One of them came after me, Isabel, and Braeden.”

“And one on the road,” Malia added.

“What are you guys talking about?” Devin asked.

“They couldn’t have followed us here. Could they?”

“At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if Kate brought them,” Isabel said.

An echoing growl was suddenly heard and a worried look came across Peter’s face. “Oh, I’ve heard that sound before,” he said. “Did it have an animal skull? A human wearing a skull over its face?”

“I’m going to say yes,” Devin said.

“How would you know?” Malia asked. “You weren’t there.”

Isabel noticed Devin’s attention was focused to his left. She followed his gaze. “Ah, shit,” she said.

Peter looked over at her and saw the large man wearing animal bones, a bear skull over his face. On his right hand was a long bone that looked like it would do some serious damage. On his left, the bones went over his hands and were sharpened into long claws. “That would be a berserker,” Malia growled and prepared to charge at it. Peter caught her shoulder. “Are you crazy!?”

“It’s just one of them.”

“And that means we have a chance.”

“To beat him?”

“To survive. Run!” Peter turned and sprinted away.

“I think I’m going to take his advice,” Devin said, before following Peter’s lead. Isabel, Scott, and Malia hesitated a moment.

“Yeah, let’s haul ass.” Isabel agreed as the berserker came their way. Peter and Devin were long gone by the time they reached the top of the stairs. They chose a random direction and ran. They hadn’t gone very far before they slid to a stop, the berserker blocking their path.

“How the hell did it get in front of us?” Isabel asked. She held her arms out protectively in front of the two teens. They backed away, heading towards an outdoor staircase. A second one came around the corner of the stairs. “Crap, there’s two of them.”

“Where the hell’s Peter and Devin?” Scott asked.

“I don’t know,” Malia said. “They took off pretty fast.”

“Just run!” Isabel cried. They started to head up the stairs when a third jumped into their path. “Oh, you’ve got to be freaking kidding me!?”

“What do we do?” Malia asked. They were trapped on their stairs. They were going to have no choice but to fight.

Isabel looked between the three berserkers, her eyes glowing bright blue. “Cover your ears.” She took a deep breath and gave a full Valkyrie Scream.

 

~~~

 

Derek was looking through boxes on shelves while Kate wandered around looking at the relics the Hales had collected over the years. She opened a jar full of dried leaves and took a whiff. She made a face before replacing the lid and putting it back. Derek opened a box and saw it contained a necklace with a blue stone. A puzzled look came across his face, as he didn’t recognize it. He put it back, thinking it might be part of the missing memories Scott told him about, and opened the box next to it. He took the box and turned around as Kate was reaching for the handle of a safe that was sitting on a table nearby. “Not that.”

Kate froze and looked like a kid who had just been caught stealing cookies out of the cookie jar. Derek walked over to Kate and held open the box. Kate took the triskelion medallion out of the box. “This is it? This will help me learn control?”

“Yeah.” Derek looked like a little puppy.

Kate smiled at him and put her hand on his cheek. “Have I ever told you how adorable you look when you give me that look?” Derek gave a smile. “But I have to tell you something.”

“What?” A loud, piercing eagle toned scream filled the room. Derek and Kate staggered away from each other, holding their ears.

“She’s not here for the medallion, Derek,” Peter descended the stairs. Derek looked up, his mouth dropping open. A blond man he didn’t know followed him.

“Of course I am.”

The man snorted. “We know why you’re really here, Kate,” he said. “And we’re not going to let you have it.”

“Quite the elaborate scheme you have here. Two countries, Aztec temples, Derek returned to a teenager. One that trusted you. One that loved you.” Derek was glancing between his uncle and Kate, looking completely confused. “All this complication just to gain access to our vault.”

“In order to steal something that you’ll never be able to use or understand,” the man added. Kate looked between the two.

“Oh, that’s right. We know you’re after the Eye of Odin, thanks to Devin here.”

Devin crossed his arms. “I don’t know how you were even able to find it, since no one knew where it was for years.” Another eagle tones scream echoed from outside, followed a few minutes later by a werewolf’s roar. Derek seemed to perk up. Devin and Peter looked over their shoulders.

Kate grabbed Derek’s arm. “Where’s the Eye? Is it actually here?”

“I don’t even know what that is!”

“Tell me!”

“I don’t know and I don’t care!” Derek shoved Kate away. “But I’m going to help my Alpha!” Derek darted away and up the stairs, leaving Kate with Peter and Devin.

Kate turned to the two. “How did you know?” she asked. “How did you know I wanted the Eye?”

“Well even without Devin’s very special ability,” Peter said. “I knew the only things in here that would be considered valuable to you would be the medallion or the Eye. But I doubted myself that you really wanted the Eye. I don’t even know how you even knew about it.” Kate said nothing. “But it became clear once Devin predicted that you would use Derek to get to it.”

Kate growled.

“Oh, I think she might be a little pissed that we foiled her elaborate plan,” Devin said.

“Come on, Kate. I owe you for trying to kill me for a cure. I owe you for taking Derek and Isabel and trying to betray them to Vincent.” Peter growled. “Come on, Kate. Let’s get angry!” He flicked out his claws and roared. Kate did the same and Devin flicked out his talons. Kate jumped forward, digging her claws into Peter. Peter shoved her off, taking a swing at her. She dodged. They then heard the sound of metal hitting the concrete stairs and they all turned to see three silver canisters bouncing down the stairs.

“What the hell?” was all Devin could say before they exploded into a blinding light.

 

~~~

 

Stiles pulled up the school and the four teens piled out of the Jeep just as they heard a loud Valkyrie Scream followed by a werewolf’s roar.

“That’s Scott!” Kira said, darting off, katana in hand. Stiles grabbed an aluminum bat from the back of the Jeep and he, Lydia, and Lindsey followed the same path. They went through the tunnel between the school and the lacrosse field. Lydia stopped and they looked around. Lindsey held her handheld crossbow with the prod up.

“Where did she go?” Lindsey asked.

Stiles shook his head. “We need to find the vault,” he said.

Lydia looked over at him. “And you seriously need to find something better than a baseball bat,” she said.

Stiles looked at his bat. “This bat has saved lives.”

Lindsey shook her head before Lydia started running again. “Well, let’s see if it’ll save Derek’s.”

 

~~~

 

Malia was crawling backward, a deep gash in her leg. Isabel had extended her wings, but the force of wind they produced wasn’t budging them. Scott went flying through the air, landing next to Malia. Isabel retreated back towards them.

“Isabel!” Scott cried. “Do it! Do the light thing!”

“Cover your eyes then.” Isabel’s body started to glow and the two teens threw their arms over their faces. The light burst outwards, actually causing the berserkers to stumble backwards. Isabel staggered back, glancing around for anything she could turn into a weapon.

“Look out!” Isabel spun around as a berserker leapt at her. She dodged, only to have a second one leave a gash in her side from the long bone weapon. Isabel went down with a cry. “Isabel!” Isabel scooted back, pressing her hand against the wound as the berserkers advanced.

“Aiiii!” All three turned their head to see Kira jump into the fray with her katana. She actually pushed them back, sparks flying off their bone armor as the katana made contact. But she made the mistake of looking back at the others.

“Kira!” Scott cried. A berserker grabbed her katana in the couple seconds she took to look back and then backhanded her. Kira landed next to Scott.

“Peter and Devin had the right idea,” Isabel said. “We can’t fight these things.” The berserkers advanced on them again. Malia grabbed Isabel’s hand and squeezed. Movement behind the berserkers caught Isabel’s eye and her eyebrows shot up at seeing Derek charging at the berserkers and launching into an attack. Derek was bouncing around, striking the berserkers and dodging their retaliations. Until one slammed him into the wall of lockers. Something seemed to change for a second before he turned around just in time to dodge another attack.

“Derek!” Isabel cried. He was hit again and fell to the ground. Derek looked past the berserkers and locked eyes with Isabel. The look on his face changed and he roared, instantly going into a shift, doubling his efforts against the berserkers. A loud screech was heard and the berserkers retreated. Derek was crouched between them and the rest of the pack. The others staggered to their feet. Isabel looked down at her wound. She could feel it healing but it wasn’t healing as quickly as it usually did. Derek straightened.

“Derek?” Scott asked.

A now adult Derek slowly turned around. Isabel took a step forward but stopped when his eyes began to glow yellow. Isabel and Scott exchanged glances. Derek walked towards Isabel, taking her face in his hands and kissing her. “I thought they killed you,” he said.

Isabel wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her. She had her Derek back. Even if his eyes were a different color now. He knew who she was now. “I thought I lost you,” she whispered. He rubbed her back.

“I’ll be okay,” he looked at the others. “Are you guys okay?”

“We’ll heal," Scott replied.

 

~~~

 

Lydia, Stiles, and Lindsey finally found the vault.

“Well, I didn’t expect it to be under the school sign,” Lindsey commented. They ran into the vault to find Devin on the floor and Peter knelt in front of a safe. Lindsey immediately went to Devin. “Devin?”

Devin groaned, his hand going to the back of his head. “What the hell hit me?”

Lindsey shrugged. “No clue. Just got here. What happened? Where’s Derek?”

“He took off after he heard Scott. Someone threw flash bombs in here and incapacitated Peter and Kate took off.” His eyes widened. “The Eye. We have to make sure she didn’t take the Eye.” He scrambled to his feet and he and Lindsey searched though the boxes.

Meanwhile, Lydia and Stiles had approached Peter.

“They took it while I was blinded,” he muttered.

“Took what?” Lydia asked.

Peter slowly stood. “Bonds,” He turned around with a sigh. “Bearer bonds and they took them all.”

“Wait, are you saying you were robbed?” Stiles asked.

“This was a heist. Kate was supposed to get the Eye and her accomplice was supposed to grab the bonds.”

“Well, she failed on her end,” Devin announced. “The Eye is still safe.”

“How much did they take?” Lydia asked.

“A hundred and seventeen.”

“Thousand?” Stiles asked.

Peter shook his head and looked back at the safe. “Million.”

“Whoa, did you just say million?” Lindsey asked.

“One hundred seventeen million dollars’ worth of bearer bonds.”

“Who would want to rob you?”

“I don’t know, but I intend to find out.”


	9. Searching for Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hales and Isabel continue to look for answers. The teens have lacrosse tryouts. Lindsey looks for a way to make Liam back off.

“We’ve been looking all over the city for her,” Isabel said. “You and Derek have been combing the Preserve trying to pick up her scent. Nobody’s even had a whiff of the berserkers.”

“That’s what troubles me,” Derek said. “They can’t hide easily. They stick out like a sore thumb.”

“We need to look harder,” Peter said. “Try harder.”

“No, we need someone familiar with Kate and her movements recently.”

Peter scoffed. “Who? The Calaveras?”

Isabel rolled her eyes. “Braeden, dumbass.” She pulled out her phone.

“You actually have her number?” Derek asked, an amused look on his face.

“Shut up. I got it last time she was in Beacon Hills.” She dialed and Braeden picked up on the second ring.

_“Yes?”_

“Braeden, it’s Isabel. We could use your help.”

_“When and where?”_

“The loft as soon as you can get here.”

 

 

Braeden made it to the loft quicker than they expected and Isabel explained why they needed her help.

“You do know I don’t work for free,” Braeden said. Peter sighed and motioned for her to sit. Derek had already been sitting on the couch, a pair of sunglasses in his hands. Isabel sat on the arm as Braeden propped her feet on the coffee table.

“The table’s Italian,” Peter said.

“So are these boots,” Braeden retorted, drawing a small laugh out of Derek, who was staring intently at his reflection in the glasses, and a smirk out of Isabel. “Are we going to talk interior design and fashion or are we going to talk numbers?” Peter sighed and wrote down a number on the pad on the table, sliding it towards Braeden. Braeden looked at it, glanced at Peter, then crossed it out and wrote another number. She slid it over to Peter.

“We’re hiring you to find Kate, not assassinate the President.”

“I was hired by the Calaveras to find Kate. You’re hiring me to find her first. Going against the Calaveras is what’s going to cost you.”

Peter wrote another number and slid the pad across the table. Braeden didn’t even look at the number before sliding it back across the table. Peter gave an exasperated noise before standing and throwing his hands in the air.

Derek reached over and picked up the pad, tearing out the sheet and ripping it in two. “We’ll pay,” he said. Peter turned around and gave Derek a glare. “Just find Kate. That’s all we want.”

Braeden looked over at the two.

“You know how dangerous Kate is,” Isabel said. “She took something from us and we need it back. And we can’t get it back if the Calaveras kill her.”

Braeden nodded. “It’s a deal, Isabel. I’ll find Kate. We’ll settle on numbers afterwards.”

Isabel smiled. “Thank you, Braeden.” Braeden left, Peter slamming the loft door behind her.

“Are the two of you insane?” he asked.

“Probably,” Isabel retorted.

“We don’t have a choice,” Derek said. He’d moved to the table near the window and was currently leaning over it. They hadn’t told Peter about the change in Derek, but Isabel could sense that something else was changing. She just couldn’t put her finger on what it was. “We spent a week looking for her and came up with nothing.”

“If we don’t find out who told Kate about the Vault or what was in it, we don’t get those bonds back! What do you think I’m gonna do then, huh? Get a job? My resume is slightly out of date.”

Isabel turned towards Peter. “Seriously? Those bonds are all you’re worried about? She somehow reversed time in Derek. She almost took the Eye! I think those are more important than those damned bonds right now!”

“We got robbed! It’s not your problem, Isabel! You have your own money, but we just lost everything! Everything! So you can walk out of our lives the same way you walked in!” Derek suddenly turned around and roared at Peter, his eyes glowing golden yellow. Peter took a step back, a shocked look on his face. “Oh, that’s a new look for you.”

“There’s more to it than those bonds,” Isabel said, quietly.

“What happened to your eyes?” Peter asked, his lashing out at Isabel instantly forgotten.

“I don’t know, but I’m willing to pay to find out.”

 

~~~

 

Lindsey and Mason walked together to the lacrosse field. She waved at Danny as she walked onto the bleachers. They were having tryouts today and there were several freshmen on the field warming up. Coach Bobby Finstock walked up to Danny and talked to him for a moment before Danny nodded and sat on the bench.

“I’ll be right back, Mason,” Lindsey said, making her way down to her best friend. “Are you not trying out?”

“Coach said I didn’t need to,” Danny responded. “Said I was on the team.”

“Nice.” She glanced up and saw Garrett and a freshmen she didn’t know throwing balls at someone in goal. He was catching every single one of them. “Looks like you have goalie competition.”

Danny laughed. “Looks like it.”

“Who is that?” Danny shrugged. The two freshmen ran out of balls and the goalie took his helmet off. Lindsey gave a disgusted noise when she saw it was Liam. “Of course.”

“You know him?”

“Liam Dunbar. An annoying pain in my ass.”

“He still trying to get you to go out with him?”

“Yep.”

“Want me to hit him in the head with a lacrosse ball?”

“Would you? Maybe that with knock it into his head I don’t want to go out with him.” Danny laughed. Scott and Stiles walked on to the field, gaping at Liam. “Hey, look. It’s more of the Liam Fan Club.”

“Who’s Liam?” Stiles asked.

Lindsey pointed at the annoying freshmen. “That little show off right there.” Liam saw Lindsey and waved. Lindsey rolled her eyes and turned away. “See you guys at tryouts.”

 

~~~

 

Lindsey went through her day avoiding Liam. She arrived at the lacrosse field just as everyone who was trying out reached the field. Danny waved at her and she joined him, Scott, and Stiles.

“Will you shut up about the axe murderer already?” Scott said with a sigh.

“Uh. Can’t shut up about the axe murderer.”

“Do I even dare ask?” Lindsey asked.

“Whole family murdered by someone with an axe. Youngest son was the only one to escape. He’s at the hospital right now in complete shock.”

“Dude, not a supernatural killer.”

“What supernatural creature uses an axe?”

“Exactly!”

“Hey, Lindsey!”

Lindsey sighed, recognizing the voice calling her name. “What now?” she asked as she turned to Liam.

“Gonna wish me luck?”

“For what?”

“To get on the team.”

“I thought you were already on the team.”

“Well, not officially.”

“Then break a leg.”

“They only say that in theater,” Stiles pointed out.

“Whatever,” Lindsey replied.

“Maybe if I make the team you’ll go out with me.”

Isaac just happened to be walking by at that moment and Lindsey caught his arm. He turned towards her and Lindsey kissed him. Danny started laughing and Scott and Stiles looked at each other. The kiss completely took Isaac by surprise. Liam just looked at them. “Good luck in tryouts,” Lindsey said when she broke away before skipping towards the bleachers. Liam turned and quickly walked away.

Isaac didn’t move for a moment, blinking in surprise. “What just happened?”

 

~~~

 

Malia was smirking at Lindsey when she joined her and Kira.

“What?” she asked as she sat next to them.

“I saw that.”

“Saw what?”

“You kissed Isaac.”

“So?”

“I didn’t know you two were dating.”

“We’re not.”

“Then why did you kiss him?”

Lindsey pointed onto the field. “See the blond guy in the grey?”

“The hot one?”

Lindsey rolled her eyes and Kira giggled. “If you say so. It was to make him leave me alone.”

“Oh,” Malia put her books on her lap. “Hey, can you help me with something?” She opened one of her books and Lindsey leaned in close to her, helping her with her history.

“Hey, isn’t the captain supposed to be one of the best players on the team?” Kira suddenly asked. Malia and Lindsey looked up in time to see Scott throw the ball several feet over the goal.

“He’s usually better than this,” Lindsey commented.

“Maybe he’s nervous because of Liam?”

“Why would he be nervous because of Liam?”

“Liam has made every single shot.”

Coach blew the whistle and the team gathered around him. “Hustle! McCall and Stilinski, grab the long sticks. You’re covering goal for two-on-ones. Let’s go! Line it up!” The team scattered and Scott and Stiles ran over to the goal.

“Oh this should be fun,” Lindsey commented.

Garrett ran at them and nearly was able to make it to the goal, but Scott knocked the ball out of his stick. Coach whooped and Kira grinned. “Apparently they’re better at guarding the goal than actually hitting it,” Lindsey said with a smile. They blocked several players from reaching the goal. Until Liam stepped up to try. “Ah, crap. Here comes Mr. Perfect.” Liam charged and dodged both Stiles and Scott before making the goal.

“Aww,” Kira groaned.

“Is there anything he’s not good at?” Lindsey asked.

“Besides getting a date with you?” Kira laughed as Lindsey gave her a dirty look.

Malia suddenly stood up. “That was luck!” she cried. “Do over!”

“Malia. Sit down,” Lindsey said.

“Sweetheart, there’s no do-overs,” Coach answered. “This is a practice.”

“Ten bucks on Scott and Stiles.”

Coach pointed at her. “I’ll take that action.” Malia sat back down.

“I hope you have ten bucks,” Lindsey muttered.

“Hey! Get back in there, Liam!” Liam did as he was told and charged at the two again. He dodged Stiles, but didn’t make it past Scott. Scott hit him hard enough that he flipped over the Alpha and landed hard behind him. Liam gave a cry of pain.

“Oh, crap.” Scott and Stiles helped him off the field. “Oh, crap.”

“Start running around the field!” Lindsey’s attention was on the three as they ran off the field until she heard Malia give a gasp. Lindsey turned and saw Kira had the lacrosse stick she’d been playing with in front of Malia’s face, a ball in the net.

“You okay?” Malia nodded.

“Wow! Nice catch,” Coach called. “Throw it back.” Kira stood and threw it back, hitting Coach in the chest. “Ahh!” he cried and hit the ground.

“Oops.”

“Someone ask her if she’s ever played lacrosse.”

“I think you just made the team,” Lindsey said with a laugh.


	10. Wendigo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek and Isabel question Braeden's motives. Lindsey pays Liam a visit. Liam makes a discovery while Scott makes a mistake.

Isabel answered the door and stepped aside once she saw their visitor was Braeden. She had a US Marshal’s badge around her neck and looking very much the part. The Valkyrie stepped aside to let her in before sliding the door shut.

“Got the file,” she announced.

“They just let you have it?” Isabel asked.

Braeden pulled the badge over her head. “This isn’t a fake.” She handed the file to Derek. “You’ll find what you need to know.” Derek took the file and took it out of the carrying case. “Can you turn around so I can change?”

Derek and Isabel gave her some privacy while they looked over the file. It was a very recent murder case. An entire family with the exception of a son that escaped by breaking through a bathroom window and running all the way to the hospital.

“Those aren’t claw marks,” Isabel pointed out. “Kate would have used claws not an axe.”

“Actually, they used a military tomahawk,” Braeden corrected.

“That’s not in the report,” Derek commented.

“I know.” Braeden slipped her shirt over her head.

“Are you going to tell us what else you know?”

“Not yet. Cause I really don’t know much.”

“But you know something,” Isabel said.

“Maybe. The problem is, the people I need to talk to right now, don’t talk to people like you.”

“People like you being supernaturals?”

Braeden nodded.

“You want me to wait for you?” Derek asked.

“I want you to trust me.”

“And why would I trust you? You sell your loyalty to the highest bidder.”

“Derek,” Isabel cautioned.

“Well, I know you. And I know what you really want.” Isabel looked at her, wondering what she actually knew. Braeden walked around the table. “You want what Kate stole from you.”

“Obviously. We wouldn’t have hired you.”

Braeden then said something in a language Isabel didn’t recognize. “It means ‘the true nature of someone is reflected in their eyes’. In your case, the color of your eyes.” Derek and Isabel exchanged glances, each wondering how she knew about Derek’s change in eye color. Braeden walked over to the coffee table and picked up her jacket.

Derek picked up the shotgun from the table as Isabel leaned against it. “You get a week,” Derek said, tossing the gun to Braeden. Braeden caught it before throwing her jacket over her shoulder and leaving.

“How did she know?” Isabel asked. “Your change didn’t come up at all in any conversation we’d had with her.”

“I don’t know.” He leaned on the table next to her, putting an arm around her. “I’m not even sure we can really trust her.”

“She did help us with Vincent and Deucalion wasn’t paying her to. And she helped us find you, although I think the Calaveras were paying her for that.”

Derek chuckled. “She can obviously find things out, but it’s her fluid loyalty that bothers me.”

“Me too. For the right price, she’d kill us all.”

“Let’s give her that week, then step back and look at our options.” Derek kissed her forehead and stepped away. Isabel suppressed a shiver.

_I don’t know if you have a week._

 

~~~

 

Lindsey came out of her room and walked down the hall just as Sean walked through the door. “Hey, there, stranger,” she greeted with a smile. They’d become closer since their parents’ deaths and his brush with death months earlier.

“Hey, Lindsey. How was school?”

“Pretty uneventful.” She grabbed her keys.

“Where are you going?”

“Hospital. I told that boy that has been asking me out to break a leg while at tryouts today. And I think he actually did.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah. I feel really bad about it and I’m going to go see how he’s doing.”

“Need a ride?”

“No, I’m a big girl and can drive myself. I have a car remember?” Sean laughed. “There’s some spaghetti in the fridge if you’re hungry.”

“Thanks, Lindsey.”

“Love you, Sean.”

“Love you, Lindsey.” Lindsey had made it a point to always tell her brother she loved him before she left, in case that was the last thing she said to him. She regretting that the last thing she said to her parents was that she hated them after a huge fight after she helped Isabel escape from them. They never knew that she was the culprit but the tensions in the house had been leading up to that fight. And it was the last time she ever saw them.

 

~~~

 

Scott walked down the hall, following Liam’s scent.

“It’s broken, isn’t it?” Liam asked.

“It’s definitely going to need an x-ray,” Scott recognized Dr. Geyer’s voice from all the hospital visits when his pack was protecting Sean from Lilith.

“It’s broken and it’s my fault.” Scott stopped outside the door.

“You want to tell me what happened?”

“I went up against two juniors. One of them is captain of the team. I thought if I could get past them on two-on-ones twice, it’d impress Lindsey.”

“That girl you like?” Scott heard Liam sigh. “Remember what we say? Play smart, not hard. And you can’t force a girl to like you.”

“I know,” There was a pause. “Are you mad at me?”

“No, of course not. Your mom might be mad at me for getting you into lacrosse, but maybe we should both wait for the x-ray before we panic. And trust me, I have more reason to panic than you.” They both chuckled. “It’s not over yet. And Lindsey isn’t the only girl out there, Liam.” Scott retreated down the hall before Dr. Geyer came out of the room.

“Scott?” Scott turned his head to see Lindsey.

“What are you doing here?”

“I felt bad about telling Liam to break a leg and him actually doing it. I came to see how he is.”

Scott motioned down the hall. “He’s two doors down.”

Lindsey nodded and started to walk down the hall. She stopped and turned back to Scott. “Don’t blame yourself, okay? It’s not your fault.”

“Stiles was telling me the same thing. I used my strength against him.”

“If you used your full strength, Liam would be dead, not with a broken bone.”

Scott smiled. “Thanks, Lindsey.” Scott’s phone buzzed and he picked it up.

 

Lindsey turned and went down the hall. Liam was in the bed, looking like a lost puppy. Lindsey knocked on the door frame. Liam looked up at her. “Hey, Liam.”

“Hey.”

“Mind if I come in?” Liam nodded and Lindsey walked in and carefully sit on the bed. “I’m sorry about what I said. I feel like I jinxed you.”

“It’s my fault.”

“How?”

“I was trying to impress you.”

“So I would go out with you?”

“Look, I know I’ve probably been too pushy about that. It’s just I really like you.”

“At least you admit to it.” Liam smiled. “Oh, look a smile!” Lindsey put her hand on his forearm. “I’ve had a lot going on in my life lately. I lost my parents and I nearly lost my brother. Having a boyfriend is the last thing on my mind right now.”

“I’m sorry. I guess I was being selfish.” Both of their attention suddenly went to the door at what sounded to Lindsey like a werewolf’s roar. “What was that?”

Lindsey shook her head. “I don’t know,” she lied. Liam swung his legs over the side of the bed. “What are you doing?”

“I want to know if anyone else heard that.” Lindsey let him use her as a support and they went out into the hall. “Where is everyone?”

“I don’t know.” Lindsey turned her head as someone came around the corner. “Liam, get back in the room.”

“What?” That someone was a boy, his shirt and lower face covered in blood. “What the hell?” The boy growled, revealing a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. He charged at them and Lindsey dived at him. “Lindsey!” She tackled him into the wall. He pushed her away and went towards Liam. Liam backed away, his eyes wide.

Lindsey gave a scream and tackled him again. “Stay away from him!”

“But I’m so hungry!”

“Then go find a cheeseburger!” The boy growled again, this time throwing Lindsey down the hall. She hit the floor hard and slid. Liam screamed. “Liam!” She darted down the hall and followed them into the stairwell. Lindsey gave a scream when a door slammed open, a fully transformed Scott coming through it.

“He has Liam!” she cried, pointing up the stairs. Scott hopped the railing and continued upwards, Lindsey right behind him. He slammed through the door to the roof and looked around. The boy had Liam in a chokehold on the upper level of the roof. “Liam!” They started to go towards them.

“Get back!” the boy cried. They stopped. Liam looked scared out of his mind and Lindsey wished she’d brought her crossbow.

“Don’t! You don’t need to do this!” Scott tried to reason with him. “Whatever it is, whatever you are, we can help you.”

“No, you can’t.”

“Let us help you,” Lindsey said.

“Wendigos don’t need help. We need food!” Liam took that moment to fight back. Lindsey darted towards him as he shoved the wendigo away from him. Scott leapt towards the wendigo as he shoved Liam towards the edge of the roof.

“No!” Lindsey grabbed Liam’s arm as he went over. “Hang on!” Liam’s face was full of terror. “I got you.”

“Don’t let me fall!”

“I won’t let you fall.”

Scott was next to them a moment later, helping. Lindsey gave a scream of surprise as she was pulled away from the ledge. “Lindsey!” Lindsey went flying into the fencing. She staggered to her feet. The wendigo was struggling with Scott and Liam was screaming. Lindsey darted back towards them when suddenly the wendigo stiffened and fell backward, a tomahawk in his back. Lindsey ran around him as Scott pulled Liam to safety. The owner of the tomahawk retrieved his weapon as Lindsey reached Liam. He was holding his arm.

“Are you okay?”

“No! He bit me!” Lindsey was glad for the darkness, otherwise Liam would have seen her go pale.

“What!?” Lindsey gently took his arm and saw the bite mark on his arm. “Oh, my God.” She looked up at Scott, who looked horrified upon seeing the bite himself. “What do we do?”

“I… I don’t know.” Scott went back to his human form. “Oh, God. What have I done?”


	11. Planning a Trick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter has a visitor. Scott has a problem. Lindsey invites Liam to a party.

Isabel had been going through a book she’d borrowed from Devin’s personal library, trying to figure out if there had been a precedent with what was going on with Derek. She didn’t understand how a wolf’s eyes could revert back to gold once they took an innocent life. Among the other changes she was sensing in her boyfriend. Derek’s phone suddenly started ringing.

“Hello?” he answered a bit groggily.

 _“Sorry to wake you, Derek,”_ Stilinski said from the other end. _“But I could use your and Isabel’s expertise on something.”_

Derek sat up. “What’s going on?”

_“I can’t say right this second. Can you meet me on the hospital roof?”_

“Yeah, we’ll be there in a few minutes.” He hung up and looked over at Isabel, who was sitting on the couch, the book on the coffee table. “Couldn’t sleep?”

Isabel shook her head. “No,” It wasn’t exactly a lie. “What’s up?”

“Stilinski needs our help with something.” Isabel stood while Derek dressed.

 

~~~

 

Lindsey gave her official statement to Parrish, telling him that she’d been visiting a friend and this kid had grabbed her and brought her to the roof when someone threw a tomahawk at him. She didn’t see his face but only saw his back. Scott had filled Stilinski in on what happened, leaving Liam out of the story. He’d taken Liam to his house, leaving Lindsey to be the one to talk to the police. The sheriff’s department was currently combing the roof, taking photos of the wendigo’s corpse.

“Okay, let’s get everyone off the roof,” Stilinski said. “Parrish, see if you can stall the ME for five minutes. I’ve got a couple of experts coming to take a look.”

Parrish looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was in earshot. “You have experts on wendigos?”

“Do you really have to ask that?”

“Are all the experts coming?”

“No just two.”

Parrish nodded before calling the others off the roof. “Come on, Lindsey. Let’s call your brother.”

Stilinski sighed and turned, jumping slightly not expecting to see Derek and Isabel already examining the body. “I guess you two have been there long enough to hear we need to be quick about this. Isabel, can you tell anything?”

“Definitely a supernatural,” she answered.

“Scott said he was a wendigo.”

“Haven’t met one of those before.”

“What exactly is a wendigo?”

“Cannibalistic shape-shifter,” Derek answered. “I haven’t heard of them in Beacon Hills for a long time.” Isabel crouched down to examine the wound on the Wendigo’s back. “They must have been well hidden.”

“Not as well hidden as they thought,” Isabel commented. “I’m assuming this is the cause of death.”

“Yeah.”

“Tomahawk?”

“How did you know?”

“Lucky guess based on the size of the wound.”

Derek suddenly turned around, a strange look on his face. “How many people did Scott say were up here?” he asked.

“Three. Sean, Lindsey, and the axe murderer, who apparently has no mouth.”

Isabel looked up. “What did you just say?”

“Not our Sean.”

“No, about the axe murderer. Did you just say he has no mouth?”

“Yeah. You know something about him?”

“Just rumors.”

“There was someone else up here?” Derek said, sniffing the air. “A young male someone.”

“You can smell his fear?” Stilinski asked.

“And his blood.”

“What do you mean? His blood?” Isabel asked as she stood.

“Either Sean or Scott bit him. And if Scott bit him…”

“Then Scott has a new beta.”

 

~~~

 

“A wendigo?” Sean asked, sitting with his sister on the couch.

“A family of them. The entire family that was murdered were wendigos. Lydia and Parrish found a meat locker full of human bodies behind a false wall. Sean Walcott was the last one and he got him tonight.”

“What were you doing on the roof?”

“I was visiting Liam and I stepped out and he grabbed me. Scott was chasing him.”

“Lindsey.”

“What?”

“That’s not what happened.” Lindsey looked at him. “I know better than for you to let anyone just drag you off. Now what really happened?”

Lindsey sighed. “Just don’t tell Stilinski. Or really anyone right now.”

“What?”

“He took Liam. I was visiting him, explaining why I kept saying no and telling him I really didn’t mean for him to break his ankle when we heard Scott roar. Liam insisted on investigating and Sean came at us. I tried to fight him off but he took Liam. Scott and I chased him to the roof.” Lindsey played with a strand of her hair. “Liam fought him off but almost fell off the roof. Scott… Scott didn’t have a choice.”

“What did he do?”

“He bit Liam.”

Sean leaned back. “Well, tomorrow night is going to be interesting.”

 

~~~

 

Peter opened the loft door to find it completely dark. “Derek?” he called. “Isabel?” He slid the door shut. “You guys home?” He walked over to the table. “I would have called but I think I left my phone over here.” He moved things around on the table before finding his phone. He checked it and saw the battery was almost dead. “I hate it when it gets that low.” Peter pocketed his phone and was about to leave when he caught sight of the file laying on the table. Curiosity got the better of him and he picked it up, leafing through it. “Why do you have a file on a murder case?” he mused aloud.

Peter read through the details, looking for anything that would have peaked Derek’s interest in it when he noticed the red light on the alarm system going off. Ever since Kali kicked it off the wall, the audible part no longer worked. Which suited Derek just fine, since it now meant anyone who tripped it wouldn’t know that Derek knew they were coming. Peter turned it off, assuming that maybe Derek or Isabel had tripped it by accident. He picked up the coroner’s report to read it when the paper was ripped out of his hand and a sudden pain went through his chest. He dropped the file and looked down at his chest at the tomahawk embedded in him.

“Oh, crap.” He fell to his knees, feeling the familiar sensation of wolfsbane poisoning. He fell to his back as a figure came out of the shadows. He was dressed all in black, with a bald head. The strangest thing was the man had no mouth. “Derek. Isabel,” Peter whispered, knowing exactly who was standing over him. The Mute. An assassin known for going after supernaturals.

The Mute typed into a keypad on his left arm. _Don’t worry, Peter._ an automated voice said. _Derek is next. Perhaps I’ll wait until he and Isabel are together and kill them both._ He pulled the keyboard and glove off, setting it on the table. He reached down and pulled the tomahawk from Peter’s chest. He raised it again when he was suddenly hit from behind and thrown. The Mute hit the ground and rolled. He came back to his feet to see Isabel crouched protectively in front of Peter. The Mute raised the tomahawk again and Isabel gave a full Scream. He dropped the tomahawk to cover his ears. Isabel only stopped when she ran out of breath. The would-be assassin grabbed his weapon and fled.

“You have perfect timing,” Peter whispered, Derek next to him.

“Who the hell was that?” the younger werewolf asked.

“Judging by the fact he has no mouth,” Isabel said. “I’m going to venture to say that was our axe murderer.” The sun’s rays were starting to peak over the horizon and around the buildings surrounding them. She and Derek helped Peter to his feet.

“This hurts like hell,” Peter said, touching his chest. “I think that axe was laced.”

Isabel pulled his shirt over his head. “Well, that doesn’t look healthy,” she said. The wound was already black. “Time to get the werewolf first aid kit.”

Peter sighed as Derek retrieved a lighter. “Okay. I think I can handle a little fire,” he said. Derek used the lighter to ignite a blowtorch. Peter’s eyes widened. “Oh, hell.”

“Is the blowtorch necessary?” Isabel asked, knowing Peter’s aversion to fire.

“The lighter would take longer. This way we know we get everything and we don’t torture Peter more than we have to.”

“Where the hell did you get a blowtorch?”

“Just hold him.” Isabel went around Peter and snaked her arms under his. The moment Derek started to burn out the wolfsbane, Peter started screaming, his left hand coming up and grabbing onto Isabel’s wrist. She grunted in pain as he gripped hard enough that his werewolf strength snapped the bones. Derek finally finished and Isabel let go, nursing her wrist as the bones mended themselves.

“Sorry,” Peter said from the floor. Isabel waved her other hand, letting him know there were no hard feeling about it. Derek helped him to his feet. “He said he was after you. And Isabel if he caught the two of you together.”

“How does a guy with no mouth say anything?” Derek asked, giving Peter an amused look.

Peter picked up the keyboard and held it up. “With this.”

“Is that a keyboard?” Isabel asked.

“It must be how he communicates. It must have been connected to some sort of speaker box.”

“Damn it,” Isabel whispered.

Derek looked at her. “What?”

“I was hoping I was wrong, but someone really wants us dead to hire the Mute.”

 

~~~

 

Lydia and Kira were sitting in biology looking at Lydia’s laptop. The screen was full of what looked like gibberish to the untrained eye, but Lydia recognized it as computer code.

“These are your math notes?” Kira asked. “No wonder Malia’s failing.”

“Some of them are my notes, but I think the rest might actually be a code.”

“You don’t remember writing it?”

Lydia shook her head. “Not in the slightest.” Lydia figured it was one of her Banshee abilities trying to tell them something. She was still learning her abilities, since she didn’t have a mentor to help her learn to control them like Scott did. “But considering my drawing of a tree led us to the Nemeton, I should probably figure out what it means before it tries to kill us.”

“Maybe it’s like the Enigma Code the Allies used,” Lydia looked at her. “Remember my dad was a World War II buff? And my mom was, well, in it.” Kira still hadn’t forgiven her mother for not telling her that she was a kitsune and when she finally did, telling her that she was going to have to kill one of the only friends she’d made. Luckily, Kira didn’t have to kill Stiles, but others had died in his place because of the nogitsune.

Lydia broke Kira from her thoughts. “I think this is a variation on something called the Vigenere Cipher,” she said.

“Do you know how to crack it?”

“With a key.” At the moment a key, dangled in front of Lydia. They two girls looked at the key, then up to who was holding the key.

“Remember the rules,” Natalie Martin, Lydia’s mother, said. “No more than six people allowed in the lake house. Stay out of the wine. And if anything gets broken, it’s getting added to your credit card debt.”

“Fine.” Lydia went to reach for the key.

Natalie pulled the key back. “And lock up the basement. From all the scratch marks on the walls, it looked like a pack of wild animals got down there.” Lydia gave a sheepish smile as her mother handed her the key and Kira bite her lip. Natalie walked away and Lydia and Kira looked at each other. This was going to be interesting.

 

 

Lindsey grabbed her bag and stepped out of her car. Scott had called her to tell her Liam has run out of his house, which meant he was turning. With as swollen and bruised his ankle had been, Lindsey knew it had been broken. To have Scott tell her that he was using it, meant it was healing. Scott and Stiles had tried to explain to him what had happened but Liam instead started fighting them. Lindsey saw Mason, Garrett, and Violet leaving the bus lot but no Liam. She stiffened when she saw Liam run towards his best friend. They conversed a little bit before Liam looked like he was about to freak out and left. Leaving Mason looking after him worriedly.

Lindsey approached Mason. “I see his leg’s better,” she said.

“Yeah,” Mason answered absently.

“What’s wrong?”

“Liam’s acting kinda weird. You know he just told me he ran three miles to school?”

“Really? Did he miss the bus?”

“I don’t know. Now he has a bandage on his arm, but wouldn’t tell me what happened.”

Lindsey bit her lip, not having a clue on how to explain this to Mason. “Did you hear about what happened at the hospital last night?” she said instead, to change the subject. They started walking towards the building.

“No, what?”

“You heard about the family that was killed by the axe murderer, right?”

“Yeah. One survivor.”

“The killer got to him last night.”

“Damn. How?”

“I heard that he killed the deputy then chased the kid to the roof and killed him up there.”

“Poor kid.”

“Yeah.” Lindsey was surprised at how easily she was able to lie about the whole incident. “I’ll see you in Comp.”

 

 

 

A couple of classes went by before Stiles came at Lindsey like a crazy person again.

“Oh, my God! What now?”

“Emergency meeting. Like right now.” Lindsey sighed and followed Stiles to the bus lot. The others were gathered between a couple of busses.

“What’s up?” Isaac asked, trying to avoid eye contact with Lindsey.

“Guys, I have to tell you something really important,” Scott said. “I’ve screwed up big time.”

“How?” Kira asked.

“Last night, at the hospital, when my mom, Lindsey, and me were attacked by the wendigo.” Lindsey raised her brow. “He also attacked Liam. I… I bit him.”

“Oh, crap,” Isaac commented. “Tonight’s the full moon.”

“Have you talked to him?” Lindsey asked.

“We tried,” Stiles said.

“We have to take him to the lake house tonight. It’s his first transformation. He’ll kill someone.”

“I do not suggest the holding cells at the sheriff’s office,” Isaac quipped.

“Ha!” Stiles said. “You’re hilarious!” Isaac grinned.

“So are we going to use the basement?” Malia asked.

“No,” Scott said. “We’ll use the boathouse. It’s got support beams. We can chain him to one of them.”

“But how do we get him to the lake house?” Kira asked. “He doesn’t trust us.”

“I say if it keeps him from murdering someone,” Stiles said. “We just chloroform the little bastard and throw him into the lake.”

“I’m in,” Isaac added.

“We’re not killing or kidnapping him,” Scott said with a sigh.

“Then let’s be smarter,” Lydia said. “We tell him there’s a party and invite him.”

“So you’re gonna ask out a freshmen?” Stiles asked.

“No, I’m done with teenage boys.”

“I’ll do it,” Lindsey said. Everyone looked at her. “He’s been asking me out for months. I’ll invite him to the party.”

“Are you sure?” Scott said.

“I’m pretty sure he’ll say yes.” The bell rang and they scattered.

“Hey, Lindsey?” Isaac said. “Mind if I walk with you to art?”

“Not at all.”

“Um, yesterday.”

Lindsey bit her lip. “The kiss.” She knew exactly what he wanted to talk about. “I’m sorry. That was completely wrong of me.”

“So… So you didn’t actually mean it?”

“I wasn’t thinking about it making things awkward between us. I just wanted Liam to leave me alone and stop asking me out.”

“Is that why Danny started laughing?”

“Yeah… I’m sorry, Isaac.”

“No, it’s okay. As far as kisses go, it was pretty good.” Lindsey felt her cheeks grow warm. “The last person I kissed was Allison.”

“I’m sorry.” She’d since learned the truth about Allison Argent’s death. How she discovered that the Oni could be killed by silver, but was killed by another before she could tell the others. She gave her life protecting her pack, a Hunter who allied with a hodgepodge wolf pack. They’d told the police that she’d been the victim of a botched carjacking. Isaac was still healing from her death and Lindsey was afraid that she might have opened that wound.

“Don’t be. It’s fine. I promise.”

Lindsey smiled and kissed his cheek. “I really want us to be friends. I don’t want that kiss to push us apart.”

Isaac smiled. “It won’t. I promise.”

 

 

After class, Lindsey went to find Liam. She found him and Mason walking out of a classroom. Liam stopped when he saw Lindsey. She smiled. “Hi, Liam.”

“Hi, Lindsey.”

“I’m glad your ankle is better.”

“Yeah. Me, too.” He started walking away.

“What are you doing tonight?”

“I don’t know. Movie at Mason’s why?”

“I scored an invite to a Lydia Martin party and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me.”

“You’re not going to go with your boyfriend?”

“I told you having a boyfriend was the last thing on my mind.”

“So Isaac isn’t your boyfriend?”

Lindsey shook her head. “No, that was just some bad judgement on my part because I was irritated with you.”

Mason laughed.

“I’d love to go with you.”

“Pick you up at seven?”

“Sure.”

“It’s a date then,” Lindsey said with a smile. Liam smiled, seeming to look past the fact that she was aware of what Scott had done. Lindsey knew in his mind, he’d finally succeeded in going out with her. She waved and walked down the hall, turning a corner and meeting with Isaac and Scott. “I take it you were listening?” she asked.

“I can’t believe he said yes that easily,” Scott said.

“I told you, he’s been asking me out for months. This was a score for him. Let’s go.”


	12. Lakehouse Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek and Isabel track down the Mute. The teens' trick turns into a party.

Peter went back home to recuperate from the wolfsbane poisoning, while Derek and Isabel went to Stilinski with the keyboard glove. They stopped at the front desk.

“Is the sheriff in?” Derek asked.

“He’s in his office,” the front desk deputy directed them.

“Thanks.” The two headed over to his office and Isabel knocked on the door frame.

Stilinski looked up. “Hey,” he greeted. “What brings you here?”

“We have a little problem,” Isabel said as they went inside. “Peter was attacked in the loft.”

“What? Is he okay?”

“He is now. Our friend without the mouth stopped by to say hi. And apparently Derek and I are next on his list.”

“What do you mean?”

Derek held out the keyboard. “He used this to tell Peter that I was next and that he would kill us both if he caught us together.”

“Does he have a thing against the supernatural community?”

“Only if he’s paid.”

“I still don’t get how this guy has no mouth. I mean how can he eat?”

Isabel gave a laugh and shook her head.

“Peter didn’t get a chance to ask. He and Isabel were fighting him off while he had a tomahawk buried in his chest.”

“Who runs around with a tomahawk?” Isabel glanced up as Parrish walked in.

“I carried one for IED removal in Afghanistan,” he offered. “It’s military.” He pointed at the keyboard in Stilinski’s hand as he shut the door, knowing if Derek and Isabel were there, then it had something to do with the secret side of Beacon Hills. “And so is that.”

“Do you know what it’s used for?” Derek asked.

Parrish examined it. “This one looks like it’s been modified.”

“Show us.”

 

~~~

 

Lindsey picked up Liam at his house and drove out to the lake house, Lindsey keeping an eye on Liam. She may have been immune to Valkyrie Screams, light bursts, and witches’ magic, but she was pretty sure she wasn’t immune to a werewolf ripping her throat out. She only hoped she would arrive before moonrise. Liam was looking uncomfortable.

“Are you okay?” Lindsey asked.

“Could you turn the music down, please?”

Lindsey glanced down at the radio. It was barely audible to her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Liam looked at the radio, confused. He jumped when his phone buzzed. He looked down at it. “Who did you say was going to be at this party?”

“Everyone. Lydia throws the best parties, everyone comes to her parties.” She pulled up to the lake house. “Hmm.”

“Where is everyone?”

“The lake house is kinda hard to find. Maybe they just haven’t found it yet.”

“You didn’t have a problem finding it.”

“Because I’ve been to a few parties here with Danny.”

“Oh.” Lindsey took his hand and they walked into the house. Liam stopped when he saw Scott, Stiles, Malia, Lydia, Kira, and Isaac. Stiles waved. Liam turned around as Lindsey shut and locked the door.

“Sorry, Liam.”

Liam snorted and Lindsey bit her lip. He turned back to the others. “What the hell is this?” he asked.

“Think of it as an intervention,” Stiles said. “You have a problem, Liam.”

“And we’re the only ones who can help,” Scott added.

“And how are you going to help me?”

“Because the fairy tale creatures are real,” Lindsey said. “Beacon Hills houses most of them.”

Liam turned to her. “Are you serious?”

“You’re one of them now. This is a pack. Scott and Isaac are werewolves. Lydia is a Banshee. Malia is a werecoyote. And Kira is a kitsune.”

Liam was silent for a minute. “So you’re telling me that werewolves and vampires are real?”

“Well, we don’t know about vampires,” Stiles said. “But werewolves are definitely real.”

“But we keep an open mind,” Lindsey added.

“Okay let me get this straight,” Liam said. He pointed at Scott. “Werewolf.” Scott nodded. His finger went to Lydia. “Banshee.” Lydia gave a nod. Malia was next on his roll call. “Werecoyote.” She nodded. He pointed at Isaac. “Also a werewolf.”

“Yep,” Isaac confirmed.

Liam pointed at Kira. “Fox?”

“Kitsune, but close enough.”

He looked at Stiles. “What are you?”

“Uh, for a little while I was possessed by an evil spirit. It was very evil.”

Liam crossed his arms. “And what are you now?”

“Better?”

Lindsey snorted. Liam turned to her. “And what are you?”

“Immune?”

“What does that mean?”

“I seem to have an immunity to abilities that some supernatural creatures have. Like screams that make your ears bleed and witches’ magic.”

“So a werewolf can bite you and you wouldn’t become one?”

“In theory.”

Liam snorted again and turned back to the others. “All of you are freaking crazy. There’s no such thing as werewolves and Banshees and kitsunes!” Malia growled and flashed her eyes. Liam’s eyes widened. “How did you do that?”

“You’ll learn,” Scott said. “But first you need to get through the full moon.”

“The moon’s already out.”

“And your starting to feel something, aren’t you?”

“I feel like I’m surrounded by a bunch of psychotic nutjobs. You guys are out of your freaking minds!” He spun around on Lindsey. “I can’t believe I had a crush on you. Now I think I know why you kept saying no to me. It wasn’t because of your parents, it was because you were afraid I’d find out how freaking crazy you are!” A hurt look crossed Lindsey’s face. “I’m walking out that door and if you try to stop me….”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Lindsey said, her voice taking on a challenging tone. Liam actually took a step back, then threw his hands over his ears. “Liam?”

“Do you not hear that?” Scott and Isaac looked to towards the window.

“Oh, crap,” Isaac said.

“Who did you tell, Liam?” Lindsey said.

“Mason.”

Kira went to the window. “And Mason told everybody.”

“Scott!” Lindsey cried.

Scott’s attention went back to Liam as his claws extended. “Boathouse! Now!” He and Kira took off with him between them, Malia and Stiles going after them.

“Guys. What do we do about the horde outside?” Lydia asked.

“Lydia, who throws the best parties in Beacon Hills?” Stiles asked.

“What? Me, obviously.”

“Then let’s throw a party,” Lindsey said. “And hope your mom doesn’t kill us all.”

 

~~~

 

Parrish had the keyboard connected to his laptop, while Stilinski, Derek, and Isabel looked on.

“Okay,” Parrish said after a few minutes. “I think I got an IP address.”

“That means we can find him, right?”

“We should. Especially if —“ Parrish cut off and everyone looked at the glove as the fingers moved.

“What the hell was that?” Isabel asked.

Parrish looked back at the screen. “I think I just found a message. Anyone recognize the handle ‘Benefactor’?”

Stilinski and Derek looked at Isabel.

“Why are you looking at me?”

“Well you knew who this guy was,” Derek answered.

“Based on hearsay.”

“‘Money transferred.’,” Stilinski read out loud. Isabel sighed. “You were right, Isabel. This guy is a paid assassin.”

“If he’s who I think he is, based on word of mouth, they call him the Mute. He specializes in the supernatural. It’s how he knew to use the wolfsbane on Peter.”

“Another person from your past?”

“The Mute? No. Never met him before.”

“I meant anyone else from your past that would want you dead?”

“Not that I know of.”

 

~~~

 

Sean and Chris had stationed themselves in the woods around the lake house. Sean had taken the equipment his parents had used and they were using a radio with an earpiece. They were on different parts of the property. Sean was watching the front while Chris was close to the boathouse.

“Hey, Chris?” Sean radioed as the line of cars started to descend on the house.

“ _Yes?_ ”

“We have a slight problem.”

“ _What?_ ”

“This private party just turned into a big one. I think the entire school population just showed up on the doorstep.”

“ _As long as they stay away from the boathouse, we may just be fine._ ”

“As long as Scott can keep Liam _in_ the boathouse.”

“ _Just keep an eye out and make sure no one wanders off._ ”

“Rodger that.” Sean saw another car pull up and bring out a keg. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.” Sean caught sight of a couple of teenagers heading out of the back door. He left his post to make sure they weren’t heading towards the boathouse, wondering who invited the school to the lakehouse and not seeing the teenaged girl slip out of the house and towards the delivery driver’s car.

 

 

Demarco Montana wheeled the keg of beer into the house. He made good money delivering kegs to parties. He hadn’t been caught, yet, delivering to teenagers and he was sure this would be no exception. He set the keg down as a beautiful redhead walked towards him, anxiety coming off her in waves.

“Okay, I didn’t order a keg of beer,” she said. “Especially not domestic.”

“Somebody ordered it,” Demarco said. He looked around. “Are you trying to tell me no one here wants to drink?”

She rolled her eyes before spotting a glass of wine on an open laptop. She picked it up. “Who put this here?” he called. She closed the laptop and set the glass down. “This laptop is $2,000 and…,” She stopped when she saw a blond teenager smelling the wine from an open bottle. She grabbed the bottle out of his hand. “That bottle of wine is 400.” She looked back at Demarco and he had a feeling she wasn’t supposed to be having that party to begin with. “How much?” Demarco handed her the bill and she looked over it. “What’s this extra hundred dollars?”

“I call it the ‘Yes, you do look 21 to me’ surcharge.” Demarco gave her a wink. That surcharge was what made him his extra money. The girl sighed then went and put the bottle down. She glanced into the living room then turned back to Demarco. “Let me get you some cash.” She left the room and the blond kid walked up to him.

“I opened the wine,” he said, pulling his wallet out of his pocket. “I should probably pay for the keg.” He handed Demarco a couple hundred dollars.

“Sure thing, kid.” He unloaded the keg. “Have a good party.”

“Have a good night.” Demarco walked back out to his car with the dolly. He glanced down and saw the flat tire. “Oh, come on. You got to be kidding me!?” He dropped the dolly. “Son of a bitch!” His heart rate started to increase from the anger and he felt the effect of the full moon. “Oh, no.” He was beginning to shift and with all the innocents around him, he needed to bring himself back under control. He looked down at his hands and saw his claws had already started to extend. “Three things cannot be long hidden,” he whispered. “The sun, the moon, the truth. Three things cannot be long hidden. The sun, the moon, the truth,” Repeating the mantra anchored him and he was able to pull the shift back. He fell to his knees. “That was way too close.” Someone suddenly came up behind him and wrapped something tightly around his throat.


	13. Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek and Isabel fight for their lives. Scott helps Liam through his first shift. Lindsey offers her friendship to Liam.

Isabel and Derek rode with Stilinski to the school.

“Why does so much crap happen at the school?” Stilinski mused aloud. Isabel shrugged. “What exactly have you heard about this guy, Isabel?”

“Everything I know, I told you in your office. From what I hear, someone must really want you dead if they go as far as hiring the Mute.”

“For someone who’s been on the run since they were a teenager, you sure know a lot.”

“I had to know who to avoid while I was running for my life. You have to remember that my father sacrificed himself for the family, my mother died in my arms, and my brother spent years chasing me around the country trying to kill me.”

“How could I forget about that?” They pulled up to the school and the three exited the car. They approached a side entrance, Stilinski drawing his sidearm before they walked in.

“You know,” Derek said. “Just because this guy connected to the school’s WiFi, doesn’t mean he’s still here.” Isabel flicked her talons out.

“I’ve seen enough in this school to keep a gun in my hand when walking in after dark,” Stilinski said. Derek looked back at Isabel.

“It wouldn’t hurt to be defensive in case he still is and this is a trap to get the two of us in one place,” she said.

Stilinski stopped, shining his light at the base of a door. “That is definitely a cause for alarm.”

Derek and Isabel looked and saw the pool of blood on the floor. Isabel looked at Derek, a confused look on his face. “That doesn’t make sense,” he said.

Stilinski shined the flashlight around them. “Yeah, no kidding,” he said.

“That’s not what I mean. I should’ve caught the scent before we walked in.”

Stilinski completely stopped and looked at Derek. The two men turned back to the door, Isabel looking at Derek worried. It was progressing faster then she’d anticipated. Derek reached for the door handle. “Hold on,” Stilinski whispered, stopping Derek from turning the handle. “You nervous makes me nervous.”

Derek took a step back. Stilinski shined the light into the classroom, before slightly tuning the handle and slowing starting to open the door. Isabel crouched down and peered through the crack.

“Stop,” she warned. “The door is rigged. There’s a claymore on the floor.”

“Oh, that’s just—”

“Get down!” Derek tackled the sheriff and Isabel rolled out of their way, slamming the door shut. A tomahawk embedded itself into the wall where Stilinski’s head had been. The Mute jumped over the banister of the stairs leading to the second floor of the school.

“Crap!” He charged at them and Isabel gave a Scream before doing the same.

“Isabel!”

 

~~~

 

“ _Sean!_ ”

Sean started, not expecting Chris to suddenly speak. The kids had gone back into the house after a smoke. “Yeah?”

“ _Liam got away from the others. Set up the ultrasonic emitters. Scott, Isaac, and I are going to try to herd Liam towards them._ ”

“On my way.” Sean darted towards a clearing away from the lake house. They had determined earlier in the day if Liam managed to break out that they would set up the emitters there. Sean worked quickly, staking them into the ground in a large circle before running to the place where he would draw the werewolf into the trap. And praying it would work.

 

~~~

 

Isabel pushed Stilinski back and away from the Mute and dodged a tomahawk. Derek landed a punch to his side and he turned and went after the werewolf. Derek backed away, dodging the tomahawks. Isabel sank her talons into his back and threw him over her head into the wall of lockers, her eyes glowing bright blue. He charged at her and Derek ran up, kicking him in the chest. He flew back into the lockers again, dropping one of the tomahawks. The Mute charged at Derek again. Isabel brought her talons down, leaving a deep gash on his arm. He turn towards her and Derek grabbed his arm where Isabel had wounded him. He dropped the tomahawk and Derek twisted his arms behind him. The Mute only stopped when Stilinski pointed his gun at his face.

“You have the right to remain silent,” Stilinski started to read him his rights as he arrested him.

“No, Peter!” Derek suddenly cried. “No!”

Isabel spun around and dodged as Peter leapt at the Mute. Derek shoved Stilinski out of the way so he wouldn’t be hurt in Peter’s rage. They could only watch as the elder werewolf tore the Mute to shreds before tearing out his throat. The silence was thick as the three just looked at Peter in shock. Peter took a handkerchief and started to clean the blood from his hands. He turned and walked away and Derek broke the silence.

“We’ve learned a better way,” he said.

“I’m a creature of habit,” Peter answered, walking out of the building.

Stilinski rubbed his face and put away his gun. “I… I need to call this in.”

“What… what are we going to say?” Derek asked.

“That we found him like this. And I need to get Parrish in here to defuse that claymore.” He walked down the hall and Isabel turned to Derek.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

Derek shook his head.

“No.”

“Are you hurt?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s…,” He looked at the bloody mess the Mute now was. “Something’s wrong. Something’s wrong with my sense of smell. I’m not picking up scents anymore.”

Isabel knew she was going to have to tell him. She glanced over at Stilinski, who was still on the phone. “Whatever Kate did to you, it’s draining you of your powers.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re losing your powers little by little. You’re turning human.”

 

~~~

 

Sean was posed to run. Liam ran into the clearing and stopped. The two locked eyes on one another. This was the boy that had been bugging his sister for months for a date. The boy she’d told to break a leg and then felt bad when he actually did. Liam growled.

“Come on, you little —,” Liam roared and charged at Sean, murderous rage on his face. Sean didn’t move but pushed the remote for the emitters. They came to life and Liam dropped to the ground, covering his ears and screaming. Sean walked around the emitters.

“ _Judging by the screaming it worked?_ ” Chris asked.

“It worked and I’m not filet de Sean.”

Chris laughed. “ _Scott is on his way._ ”

Scott ran towards them and Sean nodded at him. Scott turned the emitters off with a remote Chris had given him and approached Liam, who was back in his human form. Liam looked up at him.

“What’s happening to me?” he asked, fear in his voice.

“The same thing that happened to me. You just went through your first shift.” Scott crouched down in front of Liam.

“They can’t know about this. My mom, my stepdad. I can’t do this to them again.” Sean looked over at Chris as he joined them.

“What do you mean again?”

“I got kicked out of school and I deserved it.” Liam started crying. “The way they looked at me when they saw what I did to that car…”

“Liam, it’s okay.”

“They can’t see me like this. Like…”

“Like a monster?” Liam nodded. Scott stood. “You’re not a monster. You’re a werewolf.” Liam looked up at Scott as his eyes glowed red. “Like me.”

 

~~~

 

Lindsey drove Liam home, the freshmen watching the scenery going by and being extremely quiet.

“Are you okay?” Lindsey finally asked to break the silence. Liam didn’t answer.

“No,” he finally said when Lindsey decided he wasn’t going to talk to her. “I don’t know. I’m… I’m just scared my mom and stepdad will find out.”

“They’ll only find out if you tell them.”

“How can you be so okay with this?”

“What do you mean?”

“The night Scott bit me, when that guy attacked us, you acted like it was a normal thing to see something like that.”

“I’ve only been in this world for a couple of months. Did Scott tell you how he became a werewolf?”

“He said he was attacked in the woods and the Alpha who turned him didn’t bother to mentor him.”

“You have an entire pack that will be mentoring you. You have Scott and Isaac and Malia and Derek and Peter.”

“How did you find out about all this?”

“My parents. My family were Procurers. They tracked down rare artifacts with supernatural connections. My parents had one of the pack trying to get the location of one of those artifacts. They were murdered because I helped the pack break her out.”

“You can’t blame yourself for that.”

Lindsey glanced over at Liam. “It’s hard not to.”

Liam looked back out the window as they fell back into silence. They rode for several more minutes before Liam broke it again. “I won’t blame you if you don’t want to go out with me at all.”

“What?”

“Because I’m a monster now.”

“You’re not a monster, Liam. Some of the biggest monsters I’ve met were human. Not all monsters do monstrous things. Look at Scott and the rest of the pack.” Liam gave a small smile. “Scott will teach you how to keep your human side in control. Maybe by the next full moon, you’ll be in as much control as Scott.” Lindsey stopped in front of Liam’s house.

“I guess this wasn’t actually a date, huh?”

“No.”

“Could we ever have a real date?”

“Maybe. Focus more on learning control then scoring a date with me, okay, Liam?”

Liam nodded before stepping out of the car and heading into his house.


	14. The Deadpool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott and Stiles develop a theory. Lindsey has a shock. Another pack scrambles to protect its members.

A headless body had been found at the Martins' lake house, Natalie furious at Lydia for having a party and Lydia unable to explain why there had been a party to begin with. Then early this morning, another body had been found at the school. Stilinski was thinking there was another assassin on the loose that specialized in the supernatural. He talked to Isabel and she drew a blank, the only other one she was aware of was the Desert Wolf, and she didn’t just specialize in the supernatural. If the price was high enough, she’d kill anyone. And she didn’t use white hot bolo wire. Devin and Peter weren’t much more help. It wasn’t until Stiles and Scott came into his office with a sheet of paper and a theory that he even realized that all these deaths were connected and he was going to have his hands full.

“We can connect these murders,” were the first words out of Stiles’ mouth when he came into his father’s office.

“What do you mean? How?”

“The Walcotts were the first. At least the first that we know about. Four murders. Sean, his brother, and their parents. They were wendigos killed by a professional assassin called the Mute. Weapon of choice, a military tomahawk.”

“We know this, Stiles. He went after Peter, Derek, and Isabel with them.”

“Then Peter killed him because of it. After he tried to blow up you, Derek, and Isabel with a Claymore mine.”

“There was no surviving that attack,” Stilinski muttered.

“Then there was Demarco. He was a werewolf that delivered a keg to the party at Lydia’s lake house and was found decapitated outside his car.”

“Is there a point to this?”

“I’m getting there. Last night, Carrie Hudson, a werewolf that was stabbed in the heart.”

“It’s a deadpool,” Scott said. “It’s a hit list of supernatural creatures.” Scott unfolded the paper in his hand and showed it to Stilinski. “This is only part of it. The rest still has to be decoded.”

Stilinski looked over the list

 

_Sean Walcott    250_

_David Walcott    250_

_Michael Walcott    250_

_Christina Walcott    250_

_Lydia Martin    20_

_Scott McCall    25_

_Demarco Montana    250_

_Derek Hale    15_

_Isabel Evans    17_

_Carrie Hudson    500_

_Kayleen Bettcher     250_

_Kira Yukimura    6_

_Elias Town    250_

_Lindsey Chasseur     21_

 

“Who found this list?” Stilinski asked. “And why is Lindsey on it?”

“Lydia found it,” Stiles answered “And we don’t know why Lindsey is on the list. Isabel said she was human.”

“How did Lydia find it?”

“She wrote it. Actually, she transcribed it without realizing it.”

“Banshee?”

“Banshee.”

“Beautiful. Alright, what are these numbers next to the names?”

“We’re getting to that. First, you need to know that the code was broken with a cipher key.”

“Like a keyword?”

“It was a name.”

“Allison,” Scott said, sadness in his voice.

Stiles looked between his father and his best friend. “Her name broke a third of the list.”

“Now, we think there’s two other cipher keys.”

“And it’ll give us the rest of the names.”

“Yeah.”

“The numbers?”

“It’s how much they’re worth,” Stiles said. “In millions and thousands.”

“Does the rest of the pack know?”

“Most of them.”

“Most of them?”

“Everyone at the party knows. Malia is telling Derek, Isabel, and Devin.”

“So the Mute went after Peter, Derek, and Isabel because they’re on the list?”

“At least that’s the reason he went after Derek and Isabel. But we’re going to assume that Peter is on the list somewhere.”

Stilinski sighed.

“Sheriff?” Scott looked worried. “Don’t tell my dad about this. He has enough to worry about with these murders without worrying if I’m going to be next.”

“Scott.”

“And I don’t want him telling Mom about it either.”

Stilinski sighed. “Okay, I’ll agree that your mother would put the mountain ash down to keep you in the house if she found out about this. I won’t tell them.” He put a finger up. “But you keep from ending up in the morgue and I don’t have to explain to Melissa how you ended up there.”

 

~~~

 

Isabel looked down at the paper in her hand. The top part of the page had a list of names. The rest of the page looked like a code of some kind.

“Where did you get this list?” Devin asked.

“From Lydia,” Malia answered. “These were the notes she gave me for math. Stiles discovered it wasn’t math when he was helping me study. She had a Banshee moment and got the key to unlock the first third of the list.” Derek read the list with Isabel. “She’s been trying to find the other two.”

“And you’re positive all of these are supernaturals?” Isabel asked, a name catching her eye that made her brows furrow.

“Yeah. The Walcotts were wendigos, and the other two were werewolves.”

“Then why is Lindsey on the list?”

“Because she’s a supernatural?”

Isabel shook her head.

“No she’s not,” Devin confirmed. “Isabel and I would have sensed it. All Valkyries can sense other supernaturals.”

“So she shouldn’t be on this list,” Isabel said.

“There’s no exception to that?” Derek asked.

Isabel shook her head. “It’s part of who we are.”

“But what if there’s something that can keep us from sensing it?” Devin asked. “Something with a defense mechanism that hides it.”

“Some wolves can hide their scent from other wolves,” Derek offered. “What if Lindsey is something that can do the same thing?”

“Then let’s hope the Argents or the Hales have come across something that matches that description.”

 

~~~

 

“I shouldn’t even be on this list,” Lindsey said, her books hugged close to her chest. “I mean we’re pretty sure I’m immune to supernatural powers, but is that enough to make someone want me dead so bad that they’re willing to pay twenty-one million dollars for my head? Which is probably literally.”

“I’m just kinda scared to see how much they want for me,” Isaac said.

“What makes you so sure you’ll be on the list?” Danny asked.

“It’s a supernatural hit list. Last time I checked, werewolf matched that description.”

“Lindsey, you said that Isabel can sense supernaturals, right?”

“But she said I was human. So what’s a human doing on a supernatural deadpool? It can’t just be because of the immunity.” She suddenly stopped. “Oh, God!”

“What?” The two boys asked, stopping with her.

“Sean can’t find out I’m on the deadpool. He’s going to flip.”

 

~~~

 

Dominic Edwards rubbed his forehead. Two of his pack had been killed in the course of two days. He and Satomi Ito were currently at the morgue to officially identify another body. Carrie had been stabbed several times and was missing her left hand.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Rafe said to them.

“Do you know who did this?” Dominic asked.

“Not yet. But we have reason to believe that the same person that killed Demarco killed Carrie.”

“Why would someone kill them?” Satomi asked. “They would never hurt anyone.”

“We’re trying to find that out, Ms. Ito. And I swear to you we’ll bring their killer or killers to justice.”

“That’s all we ask, Agent McCall,” Dominic said, holding out his hand. Rafe shook it.

“If there’s anything you can think of to help with the investigation, give me a call.”

“We will. Thank you.” Rafe watched as Dominic and Satomi left.

They walked to the car in silence. “What is your take on this, Dominic?” Satomi asked once they were in the car.

“We’re being targeted. First the wendigo family in Beacon Hills, now Demarco and Carrie. Who are we going to get a call about next? You? Me? One of the kids?”

“We don’t know how whoever this is even knows who to target. It might be a coincidence.”

“Six supernatural murders in a few days?” Dominic turned to look at Satomi. “That’s not a coincidence. That’s a pattern for a serial killer.”

“Are you suggesting Hunters?”

Dominic shook his head. “Not unless they’re all breaking the Code these days. The Mute was found dead in the school on Friday. If he was here,” Dominic looked out the windshield. “There might be a contract out. We just need to find out who is being targeted.”

“Brett has a game tonight,” Satomi said. “He won’t pull out of it.”

“Where?”

“Beacon Hills.” Dominic knew the reputation of Beacon Hills. Most of its residents were a variety of supernaturals, not to mention the home of a True Alpha. He’d heard there had been several Dark Valkyries descending upon it in recent months. None had survived their encounter with the pack there. Only one of them he’d mourned for.

“I’ll go,” he finally said. “I’ll keep an eye on Brett.”

“I know you are hesitant to go because of the Valkyries that have been killed there recently. But you are not them. Just keep Brett safe.”

“I’ll do what I can without exposing us.”


	15. Bullies and Valkyries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack discovers who the assassin is. Isabel discovers another Valkyrie.

Lindsey and Danny just looked at Isaac.

“Say what?” Lindsey asked.

“The assassin is on the team. Stiles figured out what the marks on Carrie’s chest were.” Isaac took the end of his lacrosse stick off. “This was the shape.”

“So, what? He has a dagger hidden in his stick or something?” Danny asked.

“Yeah.”

“What is Scott going to do?” Lindsey asked.

“Play,” Isaac answered. “He thinks he’s going to go after one of us on the field tonight and that is the best way to catch him.”

“By playing bait?” Lindsey said it a little louder than she intended and she looked around. A few students were looking at them.

“Somebody has to be,” Isaac said. “It’s going to be either, Scott, Kira, me, or Liam, that he’s going to be after.”

“I am not okay with this.”

“I know.”

“You know I’m not going to be able to help,” Danny said. “I’m going to be in goal.”

“I know. Scott knows. We’ll be okay.”

Lindsey just looked at him and opened her mouth to make another comment when she heard Mason calling Liam’s name. She turned her head to see Liam looking like he was on a mission and not liking the look on his face.

Isaac’s head whipped around. “We might want to follow him,” he said. The three teens followed Liam and Mason out the door. Where the Davenport Prep team was exiting their bus.

“Liam, no!” Mason said.

“Brett!” A blond haired kid stopped. He looked to be either a junior or senior. And he wasn’t happy to see Liam approaching him.

“Oh, here we go,” Mason groaned.

“What’s going on?” Lindsey asked.

“It’s Liam’s old school. He’s kinda upset that they’re here.” Brett stepped close to Liam.

“I just wanted to say,” Liam held his hand out. “Have a good game.” Brett looked at his teammates before they all laughed.

“That’s cute, Liam,” he said. “Is that what they told you to say in anger management? Apologize and everything’s fine? You demolished Coach’s car.”

Lindsey could tell Liam was struggling to control his anger. Lindsey reached out and took his wrist. “Liam,” she whispered.

“I paid for it,” Liam said.

“Yeah, you’re going to pay for it,” Brett said. “We’re going to break you in half out there. And it’s going to be all your fault.”

Scott, Stiles, and Isaac suddenly joined them. “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Scott said in a low voice. “Let’s go.”

Stiles stepped between the prep students and Liam. “Hey, what’s going on, prep students?” he said.

“Is he shifting?” Lindsey whispered while Stiles distracted everyone by being the welcome wagon.

“Yes. Let go. We’ll get him calm.”

Lindsey nodded and took a step back as Stiles finished his little speech and the three juniors ran off with Liam.

“I swear to God your friends are weird,” Mason said.

“I know.”

“Hey,” Lindsey tuned to see Brett was talking to her. “Tell your little boyfriend that we’ll see him on the field.”

Lindsey turned to face him fully. She was shorter than he was so she had to look up at him. She put he hands on her hips and looked him in the eye. “One, he’s not my boyfriend. And two, maybe you shouldn’t provoke him like that. He was only telling you to have a good game. You didn’t need to throw it in his face like that.” Brett scoffed and Lindsey stepped right up to him. “Don’t you even think about instigating his anger problem tonight. People might get hurt and it won’t just be you.” Brett looked at her like he was trying to measure her up before he took a step back. He gave her a smirk before walking away with the rest of the team.

“Are we sure you don’t have an anger problem?” Mason asked.

“I don’t like bullies.”

 

~~~

 

Isabel grabbed her car keys.

“Heading to the game?” Derek asked.

“Yeah. Scott, Stiles, and Liam figured out who the newest assassin was. I’m heading to the game to help them keep an eye on him and hopefully keep Liam from wolfing out on the field.”

“Lovely. Be careful. You’re pretty high up on that list.”

“I know. I have a feeling he might go after Scott, being number one on the list.” Isabel turned to him. “Are you not coming?”

Derek shook his head. “I asked Sean and Chris to help me look into something.”

“Your powers.” It wasn’t a question.

Derek nodded. “I’m hoping maybe Chris can consult his bestiary and find out what’s going on with me. Why Kate did this to me. She’s his sister after all.”

Isabel put her hand on his scruffy cheek. “We’ll figure it out. But you need to be careful. I know you’ve lost your sense of smell and hearing, which will make it easier for someone to sneak up on you. Please, be careful.”

“I will.” Derek kissed Isabel. “But you do the same. Don’t take any unnecessary risks.”

They left the loft together, both heading to the school. While Isabel was going to the game, Derek was meeting Chris and Sean there. Isabel hoped they would find a way to reverse what had been done to Derek.

 

~~~

 

Dominic scanned the crowd on the Beacon Hills side. He could sense quite a few supernaturals there, four on the team. The Davenport Prep team walked over to their side of the field. He took his eyes off of the other side long enough to stop Brett. “Brett,” he said. “A word?”

Brett nodded and stepped aside with Dominic. “Yeah?”

“Leave that Liam kid alone tonight. You can smell it as well as I can sense it.”

“But he destroyed Coach’s car.”

“I realize that, but with how angry that boy is, provoking him like you did earlier will get people hurt. Do you want that?”

Brett sighed. “No.”

“I didn’t think so. Focus on…,” Dominic trailed off, sensing another Valkyrie. He turned back towards the Beacon Hills side. She was standing by two of the wolves and the kitsune, conversing with them. Her long brown hair reached her mid-back and was hanging loose as she brushed it over her ear. He’d known her mother and he couldn’t believe how much like her she looked.

“Dominic?” Dominic’s attention went back to Brett. “I gotta get geared up. I’ll talk to you after the game.”

Dominic nodded, turning back to the last of the Evans family. She was now looking at him and he had no doubt she’d sensed him as well as he’d sensed her. He turned and went into the stands.

 

 

Lindsey and Mason went down to talk to Liam. Liam was staring daggers at Brett as he was talking to a man with dark hair that was going white at the temples. The man seemed to be distracted by something before Brett joined his teammates. He caught sight of Liam and returned the dagger stare as he pulled his shirt over his head to change it.

“I don’t care if he’s a foot taller than me,” Liam said, before turning towards his friends. “I think I can take him.”

“Do you think that’s really a good idea?” Lindsey asked.

Mason was staring at Brett. It took him a moment to realize that Liam had stopped talking. “Yeah.”

Liam looked back at Brett as Mason continued to stare. Lindsey tried to hide the smirk on her face. “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked.

“What? Me?” Lindsey snickered and Mason scoffed. “Agreeing with you. I’m being agreeable.”

“Yeah.” Liam looked back at Brett. “You think he’s hot, don’t you?”

Lindsey burst into laughter.

“No!” Lindsey laughed harder. “Not at all! No way!”

“Really?”

“Lindsey, you’re not helping my case here!”

“Just admit it. You think he’s hot,” she said.

“Okay, maybe. A little.”

“He wants to destroy me,” Liam reminded his best friend.

“I think you could definitely take him.”

“Please don’t encourage him,” Lindsey said.

“And then give him to me.” Lindsey and Liam looked at Mason before all three started laughing. “But seriously, just go out there and kick their smug prep school asses.”

Liam and Mason fist bumped. “Alright.”

Mason headed to the stands.

“Don’t get too angry out there, okay?” Lindsey said. “I don’t want you to hurt anyone.”

“I’ll be okay as long as Scott’s on the field.”

“I’ll be in the stands. If you can’t find Scott, look for me.”

Liam nodded. “I’ll be okay.”

Lindsey smiled before he headed over towards the other players and she headed towards the stands.

 

 

Isabel walked over towards the teens as they conversed. “You know you guys might be on your own if he tries anything on the field,” she said.

“I know,” Scott answered. “Where’s Derek?”

“Helping Chris and Sean with something. Peter’s around here somewhere.”

“My dad is on his way,” Stiles said. “I think Malia and Lydia are on their way too.”

“I wish we knew who he was after,” Isaac said, adjusting his glove.

“So do I.” Isabel’s eyebrows suddenly knit together and she looked up. She could sense an extra wolf. And strangely, another Valkyrie. She looked across the field to the other team. The blond haired boy that she could sense was a wolf was heading towards the bench. But it was the Valkyrie that her eyes lingered on. At that distance, she couldn’t make out details. He had dark hair with white at the temples. He looked towards her before walking towards the stands.

“Isabel?” Scott asked. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.” She decided not to tell them about the other Valkyrie in case he was a Dark. They had enough to worry about without worrying about another possible Valkyrie skirmish.

“Let’s go!” Coach shouted. “Let’s go! Come on!”

“Be careful,” Isabel said. Scott ran up to Coach and conversed with him. Isabel looked over at the other players.

“The blond kid,” Isaac whispered. “Number 7.”

Isabel nodded.

“Hey, Liam! Think fast!” One of the other players threw a lacrosse ball at him and his reflexes caught the ball. The players started heading onto the field. The wolf on the other team locked eyes with Isabel. She glanced towards Garrett, then back at the wolf, giving him a slight nod before walking back towards the stands.

 

 

Dominic watched the exchange, glancing over towards the boy Isabel had indicated. There was nothing remarkable about him and he was no supernatural. Then it dawned on him. She knew who had killed Demarco and Carrie and was warning Brett, having sensed that he was a wolf. Before Dominic could do anything, the whistle blew, signaling the start of the game.


	16. Tracking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teens have an eventful lacrosse game. Derek recruits Malia to track Brett's pack. Parrish finds himself on the dead pool. Liam disappears.

“Where is Stilinski?” Isabel muttered. She’d been keeping an eye on Garrett though out the game. Davenport Prep seemed to be focusing on Liam, giving him the brunt of the abuse and tackles. Scott, Stiles, and Isaac had to keep Liam from fighting them, several times. Danny was fighting to keep the other team from scoring, but they were still scoring. Beacon Hills was trailing, partially because the lead players weren’t exactly focusing on the game. Kira scored and then was benched for not following the play, leaving Scott, Isaac, and Stiles to keep Liam from shifting. The next play saw Davenport’s wolf crashing into Liam and Garrett crashing into them. All three ended up on the ground not moving. Isabel darted out to the field upon hearing the scream. The two teams gathered around the fallen players. Isabel shoved through to reach Liam, who was now standing. Brett was still on the ground.

“How hard did you hit him?” Scott asked.

“I didn’t,” Liam answered. “He hit me.” The young Beta showed Scott his broken arm.

“Close your eyes.” Isabel moved her body to hide what Scott was doing. She glanced over at the other wolf as Scott realigned the bone so it could heal. The other Valkyrie was on the field now. The EMT helped him to his feet.

“I should go with him,” the Valkyrie said.

“Are you his father?”

“I’m the closest thing he has to one.”

“I’m sorry, sir. You can call his mother but I can’t let you come with us.” The Valkyrie ran a hand through his hair.

“Are you cut?” Scott suddenly asked, drawing Isabel’s attention back to her pack. “Did Garrett cut you?”

“No, no. I’m okay.”

“Then he missed.”

“What are you talking about?” Isabel asked.

“It’s you, Liam. You’re the one he’s after.”

“Get Liam over to the bench,” Coach said. “I want to make sure he didn’t hurt his leg again.”

“Yes, Coach.” Garrett was smirking as he passed by Isabel. The teams were dispersing back to their sides.

Isabel followed them, Lindsey meeting them. “Are you okay?” the teen asked. “What happened?”

“Garrett missed,” Scott said.

“He was after Liam?”

“We think so.”

“Why would Garrett miss?”

“I don’t know.”

Stiles' phone went off and he looked at the text. “Guys,” he said. “Lydia just broke another third of the list.” He showed them the list.

“He’s didn’t miss,” Isabel said, sprinting away towards the locker rooms.

 

Dominic saw Isabel suddenly take off in a run, followed by one of the wolves. He looked around before following them. By the time he reached the locker room, he could hear the sounds of a struggle. Dominic reached the door just as he heard a thud. Isabel was over Brett protectively. A teenaged girl was on the floor. The wolf was standing between them, his eyes glowing bright red, a broken wire hanging off his shoulder.

“He’s still alive,” Isabel said, seeing him in the doorway. Dominic went to Brett, who seemed to be struggling to breathe.

Another player rushed into the room. “What the hell?”

“I think you need to call your dad,” the Alpha said.

“And we need to get Brett to Deaton,” Isabel added.

“I’ll need to go with you,” Dominic said.

“Fair enough. Let’s go.” Isabel and Dominic picked Brett up and they left, the other teenager making a call as he followed them.

 

~~~

 

Brett started seizing on the way.

“What the hell did he use on him?” Stiles asked.

“My guess is an extremely rare form of wolfsbane,” the Valkyrie said.

“Sorry, but who are you and why are we bringing you along?”

“Really? You want introductions now?”

“Be better than calling you Valkyrie,” Isabel quipped.

“He’s a Valkyrie?” Stiles asked. “Please tell me he’s not another boyfriend. Or a Dark.”

“I’m Dominic. And no, I’m not.”

“Then who are you?”

“We don’t exactly have the time for me to tell you my life story right now. Can this bucket of rust go any faster?”

“Hey, now wait —”

“Stiles! Drive!” Isabel was on the phone. “Derek, I need you to meet us at the clinic.”

“ _What happened?_ ”

“I’ll explain when you get here. We’re going to need all the help we can get holding this kid down.”

 

Derek arrived at the clinic just as Isabel and a man he didn’t know were pulling a blond haired kid out of the Jeep. Stiles had bolted inside. Derek jumped in to help. Deaton cleared off an exam table and they set him on it, taking his lacrosse gear off.

“What happened?” Derek asked.

“One of the assassins cut him with a laced blade and his partner was going to kill him, but went after Scott instead,” Isabel explained. “He stayed behind to give a story to Stiles’ dad.” Brett started spitting up a yellow substance.

“What the hell is happening to this kid?” Stiles asked.

“He’s been poisoned by a rare wolfsbane,” Deaton explained. “I need to make an incision and you need to hold him as still as possible.”

“Help Stiles hold him, Dominic,” Isabel said. Dominic went around to Stiles’ side while Isabel went to Derek’s.

“Hey, Derek, how about a little werewolf strength?” Stiles snapped.

“Yeah, I’m not the only one here with werewolf strength!”

“If you can’t hold him still, the incision might kill him,” Deaton said, sternly.

“I think he’s slipping,” Stiles said.

“Hold him!” Dominic practically growled. Brett then threw all four of them off him, all landing in different directions. “Brett!” Brett turned to run, only to be met with a punch from Peter.

“Where the hell did you come from?” Isabel asked.

“You looked like you were having a little trouble,” Peter said.

“Hey, Doc,” Stiles said as Dominic knelt next to Brett. “I don’t think he’s breathing.”

Deaton knelt next to Brett as Derek looked at his arm, three long scratches left there from when Brett threw him off. Deaton made the incision, a small cloud of yellow coming from the wound.

“Will he be alright?” Dominic asked.

“I think he’ll be fine, but I think he’ll be out for a while.” The scratches on Derek’s arm healed as Deaton spoke and Isabel looked at him, worry in her eyes. Peter had noticed how long it’d taken to heal as well and concern came over his face as well. Brett started muttering.

“What is he saying?” Stiles asked.

“The sun, the moon, the truth,” Dominic answered.

“What?”

“‘Three things cannot be long hidden’,” Deaton quoted. “‘The sun, the moon, and the truth’.” He looked at Dominic. “It’s Buddhist.”

“You two are part of Satomi’s pack,” Peter observed.

“We are. And as soon as he’s able, we need to return.”

“I think now that Brett isn’t dying, you should tell us exactly who you are,” Stiles said.

Dominic sighed. “Seeing that you run with Isabel, you guys know about my kind.”

“I never told you my name.”

“You didn’t have to. You look like your mother. I’m one of the few Pure Valkyries to survive the Dark Valkyries’ purge.”

“Then we have good news!” Stiles said. “We killed the Dark Valkyrie king.”

“Stiles.” Isabel gave him a dirty look.

“Okay, it was Isabel.”

“You killed Kenton?”

“Sorta.” She indicated Derek. “He and a witch helped.”

“So it’s true? Kenton is dead?”

“He’s dead.”

Dominic couldn’t hide his relief. “There are a lot of Valkyries that will be glad to hear that.”

Isabel took Derek’s hand. “We need to go check on Scott and find out what’s going on. It was nice to meet you, Dominic.”

“Thank you for your help. I owe you.”

Isabel smiled and she and Derek left.

 

Once they were out in the parking lot, Isabel turned back to Derek. “It’s affecting your healing now?” she asked.

Derek sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know what to do. If it keeps up at the rate that it’s going, I’m going to be completely human in the next few days.”

“What did Chris have to say?”

Derek turned and leaned against the hood of the Cruiser, resting on his forearms. “He’s going to consult the bestiary to see if power stealing is something werejaguars do. I want to ask Deaton, but I don’t want to say it in front of everyone. I don’t want everyone to know about this.”

Isabel rubbed his back. “You don’t have to do this alone.”

“But I won’t be able to protect you or help you like I have in the past.”

“We’ll find a way to reverse this. To get your powers back.” She put her hand on his cheek and had him look at her. “And we’ll do it together.”

 

~~~

 

Dominic left with Brett when Deaton left to make a house call before they were able to warn them about the dead pool. Derek picked up the jersey that had been left behind.

“Planning on tracking him?” Isabel asked.

“With help. Come on.”

Isabel followed Derek out of the clinic. “Who? I thought you didn’t want anyone to know.”

“I’m going to recruit Malia. She needs the practice.”

“She was able to find Mama’s body well enough.”

“Because she was going by the instinct she’d used for eight years. She’s still learning how to use scent to track.”

“How are you going to explain to her that you need the help?”

“I don’t know.” They arrived at the school. “Wait here.” Derek went inside while Isabel waited in the car. Class was in session and Derek whispered Malia’s name several times until he saw her wandering the halls looking for the source of the whispers.

“What are you doing here?” she asked when she saw Derek.

“Dominic left with Brett before we could warn them about the dead pool. I need to find his pack and warn them.”

“So what do you need me for?”

“I know a little something about this pack. They have a kind of secret meeting place in the woods. No one’s spent more time in the woods of Beacon Hills than you.” Derek handed Malia the jersey. “This is Brett’s. Breathe it in.”

“I still don’t know why you need me. You’re better at tracking than I am.”

“What Kate did has my powers a bit out of whack right now. I need the help.”

“Oh.” Malia put the jersey to her nose. “I’ve got his scent.”

“Good. Come on. And don’t tell your dad about this.”

 

~~~

 

Parrish looked up to see Stiles and Lydia coming towards him. “Your dad should be back within the hour,” he said, motioning the teens to follow him. “You want to wait in his office?”

“Actually,” Stiles started after sharing a look with Lydia. “We want to talk to you.”

“Privately.”

“What about?”

“The dead pool.”

Parrish had a feeling he knew what they wanted to talk about. “Okay…” The deputy motioned towards the sheriff’s office. Lydia handed him the dead pool and he saw that the second part of the list had been unlocked.

 

_Kate Argent 12_

_Noshiko Yukimura 5_

_Joanne McLaughlin 1_

_Steve Grace 1_

_Tom Hill 1_

_Brett Talbot 1_

_Isaac Lahey 1_

_Reed Schall 250_

_Richard Benefield 250_

_Jack Marsland 250_

_Joy Waldrop 250_

_Cheryl Calix 250_

_Jordan Parrish 5_

 

Parrish’s stomach dropped. He was worth five million? “Okay,” he said, continuing the ruse of being the clueless deputy. “That’s kinda terrifying. Why am I worth five million?”

“Well, we were hoping you could tell us,” Lydia said.

“What? You think I’m a supernatural?”

“Well, so far everyone on the list is.”

“Lindsey isn’t.”

“That we know of. Maybe you can talk to Isabel and she can help you figure it out.”

Parrish sighed.

“We still need to unlock the final third of the list,” Stiles said.

“We need the third cipher key,” Lydia added. “But we need help getting it.”

“From who?” Parrish asked.

“Meredith.”

“The girl from Eichen? Last time you saw her, you almost gave her a nervous breakdown.”

“She’s a Banshee.”

“Oh, that makes it even better. You push her too much, she’ll explode our heads.”

“Can a Banshee do that?” Stiles asked.

“I’m not going to doubt it.”

“Parrish, please?” Lydia begged. “If she can help us get the last key, we’ll know who we need to protect.”

Parrish sighed. “Fine.” He opened the door. “Wait for me by my car.”

“Thank you!” The two left and Parrish made sure they were well out of earshot before he pulled out his phone.

“ _Hello?_ ”

“Sean, it’s Jordan. I have a major problem. Have you seen the newest version of the dead pool?”

“ _I haven’t seen any of it. Why?_ ”

“I’m on it now.”

“ _That shouldn’t surprise you after that stunt you pulled at your house._ ”

“The others know I’m a supernatural now.”

“ _You might have to come clean on what you are. Even though you’ve never even told_ me _what you are._ ”

“Hopefully they’ll think it’s a fluke like Lindsey.” Sean became extremely quiet. “Hello?”

“ _Did you just say what I thought you said?_ ”

“What?”

“ _Did you just say Lindsey was on the list?_ ”

“You didn’t know?”

“ _No! Why would she be…? Crap…_ ”

“What?”

“ _I don’t think Lindsey if a fluke. I need to do some research first. Keep this to yourself until I confirm a suspicion._ ”

“Fair enough. I gotta go.”

 

~~~

 

Lindsey looked down at her text.

“Is that Liam?” Mason asked. Liam had disappeared while he and Mason were jogging the trails in the Preserve. Which worried Scott. The two had been looking for anyone who had seen him. Even Lindsey was worried about him.

“No, it’s my brother.”

Sean’s text simply said _Call me ASAP_.

“If he calls or texts you, you’ll let me know, right?”

“Of course.”

“Thanks, Lindsey. This just isn’t like him.”

“I know.”

Mason headed off to his class and Lindsey called her brother.

“ _Lindsey?_ ”

“No, it’s Mary.”

“ _What is this about you being_ on _the dead pool?_ ”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She was going to kill whoever told him she was on the list.

“ _Lindsey, you know damn well what I’m talking about_.”

“Oh, my God! You sound just like Dad right now!” Lindsey heard him sigh.

“ _Why didn’t you tell me?_ ”

“Because I knew this was how you were going to react. I knew you were going to freak out.”

“ _Because you’re all I have left._ ”

This time Lindsey sighed. “I know. Can you do me a favor?”

“ _What?_ ”

“Keep an eye out for Liam. He’s missing.”


	17. Mystery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek, Isabel, and Malia try to track Satomi's pack. Sean and Lindsey try to unravel a mystery. Scott, Stilinski, and Rafe are attacked.

Derek drove to the Preserve.

“Their Alpha is a woman named Satomi,” he explained to Malia as she and Isabel exited the Cruiser. “She’s one of the oldest werewolves alive. And she’s learned a lot.”

“What does that mean?” Malia asked.

“It means she might have abilities beyond us,” Isabel said. “Plus she has a Valkyrie as well.”

“She’s also a bitten werewolf,” Derek added. “Learning control wasn’t easy for her. She did something a long time ago that changed her.”

“The camp,” Isabel realized. “The night Kira’s mother was shot and left for dead.” She’d heard the story from Scott as Kira didn’t like talking about her mother very often.

Derek nodded. “The quote is her mantra. It helps them with control.”

Malia suddenly stopped, sniffing the air.

“What do you smell?” Isabel asked.

“Gunpowder.”

Isabel took a step forward and stepped on something. She moved her foot back and looked at what she stepped on, crouching down and picking up a spent rifle casing. “Looks like a 308,” she said. “It’s cold, so it’s been here a while.”

“If Brett’s pack is out here,” Derek said. “I don’t think they’re meeting.”

“If they’re hiding, will we be able to find them?”

“I don’t know.”

 

~~~

 

After hanging up with Lindsey, Sean went to Chris.

“What brings you here?” Chris asked when he saw his visitor was Sean.

“Two things. Liam is missing.”

“Missing?”

“He went on a jog with his friend, Mason, and Mason lost him. No one has seen him since. He hasn’t contacted Mason, Scott, or Lindsey.”

Chris’ eyebrows came together. “I don’t like the sound of that. What was the second thing?”

“Do you have anything in your bestiary about daemons?”

“Daemons? Why?”

“It’s kinda hard to explain right now, but since I can’t read Archaic Latin, I’ll need your help on that.”

“Sean.”

“It’s a suspicion I have that I want to confirm. I’ll explain later.”

“Can we look at it later? Rafe and Stilinski are escorting Violet to a federal lockup and Rafe asked that I follow to make sure everything goes smoothly."

“Need help?”

“I won’t protest.”

 

 

Chris drove while Sean seemed to be deep in thought.

“There’s something on your mind,” Chris commented. “I haven’t seen you look like this since the night we met.”

“I just found out that Lindsey is on the dead pool.”

“Why would she be on the dead pool? Isabel said she was human.”

“That’s what I don’t understand. Why would she be on the list? Would that immunity she seems to have put her on it?”

“Does this have anything to do with your question about daemons?” Sean didn’t answer. “Sean, I can’t help if you don’t talk to me.”

“Possibly.”

“What do you know about them?”

“Absolutely nothing.”

“Yet you have a suspicion about them?”

“I overheard Mom— Watch out!” Chris slammed on the breaks as something darted across the road. “What the hell was that?”

“I don’t know. It moved too fast.” Chris started to go again. A few minutes later they came across an overturned car and another car just sitting in the road, two large shapes disappearing into the trees. Chris stopped the car and he and Sean darted towards what looked like a wreck. Rafe and Stilinski were on the ground, Garrett and Scott nearby.

“Scott!” Chris went to check on the Alpha while Sean went to check on the two law enforcement officers. Rafe was out cold while Stilinski was still conscious.

“What happened?”

“Scott?” Sean turned towards Chris.

“He’s alive but out cold.”

“Get him out of here,” Stilinski said, pain in his voice. “Get him to Alan.” He reached for the radio at his shoulder. “Officer down. Highway five.”

“ _All units respond. Sheriff in distress. EMT needed._ ”

“Go.”

Chris picked Scott up and put him in the back of his SUV.

“Are you going to be okay?”

“The berserkers got Violet. Just make sure Scott is okay. Don’t worry about me.” Sean hesitated. “Go!”

He nodded and followed Chris.

 

~~~

 

Sean wasn’t home when Lindsey came home from school, so she headed to the clinic to see if Deaton had heard anything from Liam. She still hadn’t heard from him and she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Along with asking him a question that had been bothering her.

“Lindsey, what brings you here?”

“Did they tell you that Liam is missing?”

Deaton shook his head. “No. What happened?”

“We don’t know. I’m worried about him.”

“I know. But that’s not the only reason you’re here, is it?”

Lindsey shook her head. “You know about the dead pool, right?”

“And I’m aware that you are on it.”

“But why? Isabel can sense supernaturals and she said I wasn’t one. So why am I on the list? Could my immunity have accidentally gotten me on it?”

Deaton tapped his lips. “That’s something I didn’t think of.”

“Deaton!” Sean suddenly called, running in. He froze upon seeing Lindsey.

“What is it?” Deaton asked before Sean could say anything about his sister’s presence. In answer, Chris came around the corner carrying an unconscious Scott.

“Scott!”

 

Scott came back to consciousness while Deaton was preparing to remove the bone knife embedded in his side.

“Hey, there,” Deaton greeted. “I was actually hoping you would be out for a few more minutes.”

Scott looked down and saw the bone knife. “Oh…”

“Scott,” Chris approached him and the young Alpha looked up at him. “This is going to hurt.” Sean held Scott down as Chris pulled out the knife. Scott gave a scream and rolled off the table.

Lindsey immediately jumped in with a pressure bandage. “Are you alright?” she asked.

“I’ll heal. Where’s my dad and the sheriff?”

“They’re at the hospital,” Deaton answered. “They’re both doing fine.”

“What happened?” Lindsey asked.

“Kate and her berserkers. They took Violet.”

“What would she want with Violet?”

“I don’t know. But I think she knows where Liam is.”

“Come again?”

“Garrett took Liam to force me to help him break Violet out of custody. We have to find her. I’m positive that she’ll know where Garrett took him.”

Deaton held out the bone knife. “As much as this hurt,” he said. “It could probably also help. Can you get a scent?”

Scott took the knife and inhaled. Everyone stared at him for several minutes.

“I got the scent.”


	18. Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek, Isabel, and Malia make an unnerving discovery. Deaton has a theory on why Lindsey is on the dead pool. Stiles and Lydia unlock the last third of the list

Malia tracked all day and couldn’t find Brett’s scent. Or any werewolf’s scent. It was well past dark when she, Derek, and Isabel returned to the Cruiser.

“I’m sorry,” Malia said. “I really tried.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Derek answered. “If they don’t want to be found, we’re not going to find them.”

“They have the ability to hide their scent, don’t they?” Isabel asked. Derek nodded.

“Wait, that’s a thing?” Malia asked. “Some werewolves can hide from other wolves?”

“Yeah. But I couldn’t sense any other werewolves where we looked,” Isabel said.

“Maybe we need to try something different.”

“Like what?”

“Maybe we need to think like Stiles.”

“Like a hyperactive spazz?” Derek asked. Isabel smiled.

“No, like a detective. If they’re really Buddhists, then maybe instead of asking where werewolves hide, we should be asking…”

“Where would Buddhists hide?”

“Are you familiar with Buddha’s teachings?” Isabel asked.

Derek was quiet for a moment, glancing out the windshield. “When Buddha sat under the Bodhi tree, he looked to the east for enlightenment.”

“Is there some kind of eastern point in Beacon Hills?” Malia asked.

“Lookout Point,” Isabel said. The place where she and Derek had their first kiss. When Isabel decided to stay in Beacon Hills and stop running from Vincent.

“Come on,” Malia said as she stepped out of the Cruiser.

 

 

They reached the overlook and saw nothing. Isabel’s eyebrows knitted together and Malia stopped Derek.

“What?” he asked.

“I’m sensing a lot of werewolves,” Isabel said.

“Do you not smell that?” Malia asked.

“Wait here,” Derek said, moving in the direction Malia and Isabel had been looking. Isabel followed Derek anyway. “What part of wait here did you not understand?”

“Have you met me?” Derek shook his head with a smile. The smile faded when he saw the scene before him. “Oh, my God,” she whispered. Before them, several werewolves were scattered. Isabel went to the nearest one. His eyes were wide open, unseeing, a black substance trailing from his eyes, nose, ears, and the corners of his mouth. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“Neither have I.”

Isabel looked down and saw that the substance was even around his nails.

“What happened?” Malia asked, having followed them to the clearing.

“A genocide,” Isabel answered.

“I think they might have been poisoned,” Derek said.

“Well, that’s just great,” Malia complained. “If assassins with guns and tomahawks don’t get you, then ones with wolfsbane poison will.”

Isabel stood. “You’re not helping, Malia,” she said.

“Maybe we should be running from Beacon Hills. Running for our lives. As fast as we can.”

“Once you start running,” Isabel said. “You never stop. You’ll always be running.”

Derek smiled to himself. He’s said that very thing to Boyd and Erica before they disappeared and again to Isabel when she was considering running from Vincent again.

“Says the woman that spent the past nine years doing just that.”

“And you saw what that got me. Sometimes you have to stop running and face what you’re running from.” Malia couldn’t argue that.

“Come on,” Derek said, turning away from the scene, then stopped.

“Derek?” He turned back to the scene. “What is it?” He was looking over the scene again. A hand slowly raised into the air.

“Someone’s alive,” he said darting towards where the raised hand was, Isabel following.

“It’s Braeden,” she said when they reached her. The mercenary woman looked to be in a lot of pain.

“You don’t think she poisoned them do you?” Malia asked.

Isabel saw the blood on her shirt and lifted it, revealing the gunshot wound on her side. “Unless werewolves use guns all of a sudden,” she said. “Braeden was left for dead.” She looked up at Derek. “We need to get her to the hospital.”

Derek gently scooped her into his arms, Braeden giving a cry as he did so. “Go!”

 

~~~

 

Lindsey finally stopped pacing finally deciding to lean against the counter.

“Lindsey,” Deaton said. She looked up at him as he was restocking some of his supplies. “You came here looking for answers onto why you’re on the dead pool, correct?” She nodded. “Why come to me?”

“Because you seem to know a lot about the supernatural. I mean how come you’re not on it?”

Deaton stopped and turned to her. “What makes you think I would be on it?”

“I mean, you’re a Druid, right? Can’t you use magic?”

“What gave you that idea?”

“Stiles told me about the Darach. She was a Druid, wasn’t she?”

Deaton went and leaned against the counter next to her. “Jennifer was once like me with no powers. She was attacked by her Alpha. She just happened to be next to the Nemeton. The Nemeton had been accidently given a sacrifice several weeks earlier, which enabled her to survive when she called upon it. So while she was struggling to survive, she made an oath that she would get revenge and she gained her power that way and honed it for years before coming back to Beacon Hills.”

“And sacrificing innocent people to a tree.”

“Did Stiles tell you I was almost one of her sacrifices?” Lindsey shook her head. “I have Scott and Stilinski to thank for saving my life.” Deaton smiled. “It was the first time I saw Scott’s eyes go from gold to red.”

“Wait, he was a beta?”

“He wasn’t always an Alpha. He rose to become an Alpha by sheer willpower and his character.” Deaton’s expression turned thoughtful.

“What?”

“I just thought of something.” Deaton looked at Lindsey. “I know this might be a strange question, but do you know of anyone in your family that were supernaturals?”

“Aside from my almost sister-in-law? No.”

“There’s a very elusive, somewhat rare supernatural that I know of.”

“What’s it called?”

“It’s called a daemon.”

 

~~~

 

Stiles and Lydia were sitting in Stiles’ room. They had tried and failed to procure the last cipher key from Meredith, instead earning a scream that made Parrish visible wince and Lydia’s ears bleed. Parrish had taken them back to the station and the two teens went to Stiles’ house. There was still no word about Liam. Stilinski and Rafe were escorting Violet to a federal detention center and Garrett was still on the loose.

“Well, we know one thing,” Stiles said, pacing back and forth. “Both of the first two keys, Allison and Aiden, they’re both names of the dead.”

“And we’ve tried every other dead person’s name we could think of,” Lydia answered. “And in case you didn’t notice, it was a lot of tries.”

“Yeah, I noticed.” Stiles turned to see Lydia with a defeated look on her face. “You okay?”

“The only other Banshee I’ve ever met and I think I might have just drove her over the edge.”

“Lydia, it wasn’t your fault. I was there, too. I was pushing her, too. Parrish was warning us to stop. You’re probably not the only one…,” he suddenly trailed off.

“What?”

“Banshees predict death, right?” Lydia nodded. “So what if the third key is someone who isn’t dead?”

“But will be.” Lydia turned back to her computer. The curser waiting for the keyword was flashing. Lydia took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She tapped a fingernail on the computer, the voices swirling around her. She tapped again, focusing on a name. Another tap and the name became clearer. Without opening her eyes, she typed the name into the space. She opened her eyes and looked up at Stiles. Stiles was biting his lip, worry on his face. Lydia turned back to the screen, Derek’s name glaring at them. She hit enter, the code turning into a readable list

 

_Satomi Ito 10_

_Malia Hale 4_

_Liam Dunbar 3_

_Meredith Walker 1_

_Devin Greene 7_

_Liz Moore 1_

_Patrick Clark 1_

_Daniel Evans 10_

_Bree Leverett 250_

_Kaitlyn Schaar 250_

_Genevive Cary 250_

_Angelique Fain 250_

_Lorilee Rohr 250_

_Brittani Kegley 250_

 

Stiles and Lydia looked at each other.

“We have to call Parrish,” Lydia said, grabbing her phone.

“Lydia,” Stiles said slowly. “There’s a name on here that shouldn’t be there.”

Lydia didn’t seem to hear him. “Parrish, Meredith is on the dead pool! You have to warn her!”

_“Lydia, warning her won’t do any good.”_

“What are you talking about?”

_“Meredith’s gone. They found her an hour ago in her room. She hung herself. I’m sorry.”_

Lydia dropped her arm and Stiles pulled her into a hug. He glanced back at the list. He knew once Isabel found out about how they cracked the rest of the list and who was on it, she was going to lose it. He could almost guarantee it.


	19. A Shocking Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sean and Lindsey help Liam with an excuse. Chris finds a familiar entry in the bestiary. Isabel finds a shocking name from her past on the dead pool.

“So what exactly is a daemon?” Lindsey asked. Before Deaton could answer the front door opened. They looked and saw Scott come in with Liam’s arm over his shoulder.

“Liam!” Lindsey cried.

“Garrett used the same dagger he used on Brett.”

Deaton stood, motioning to the exam table.

“I can’t breathe,” Liam whispered. Lindsey helped Scott put him on the table. Chris and Sean walked into the room then, both looking like they’d tangled with King Kong. Scott and Lindsey pulled Liam’s shirt off.

“Liam, I need you to be very still for this.”

Liam nodded and Lindsey held his hand. He looked at Lindsey’s worried face and gave her a reassuring smile as Deaton cut into his chest. Liam gave a grunt and Lindsey squeezed his hand. A puff of yellow smoke came from his chest and afterward Liam started to breathe normally again.

“He’ll be okay, right?” Lindsey asked.

“He’ll be okay,” Deaton assured her with a smile. Liam closed his eyes and seemed to pass out.

“I don’t want to keep watching people die,” Scott said.

“I’m not sure you have much choice about that,” Chris said.

“Maybe I do.”

“That’s a lot of burden to carry, Scott,” Deaton warned.

“I don’t care,” Scott looked down at Liam. “No one else dies. Everyone on that list. Everyone on that dead pool. It doesn’t matter if they’re wendigos, or werewolves, or whatever. I’m going to save everyone.”

“What if you can’t save everyone, Scott?” Lindsey asked. “You can’t be everywhere at once.”

“I have to try. I’m done not being able to protect people. I’m done not being able to protect my own pack.”

“Liam wasn’t your fault.”

“He could have died, Lindsey. He’s my beta, my responsibility.”

“Is every supernatural in Beacon Hills your responsibility too?”

“They are now.”

 

~~~

 

Stiles ran into the ER, Lydia right behind him.

“Melissa!” Melissa turned and saw them. She went to meet them. “Where’s my dad? What happened?”

“He’ll be fine.” She glanced around to make sure they weren’t going to be overheard. “Berserkers attacked the escort. Noah and Rafe were injured. Officially, Garrett rammed into them in an attempt to free Violet. Violet escaped and they believe she killed Garrett.”

“She’s probably dead, too,” Lydia said.

“I hope so.” Melissa led them to Stilinski’s room.

“Hey, kid,” he greeted.

“Dad,” Stiles started.

Stilinski held his hand up. “Parrish told me you guys went to Eichen to talk to Meredith.”

“It was a bust,” Lydia said. “But we were able to figure out the last key.”

“Please tell me you’re not on it, Stiles.”

“Human, Dad. I’m still human.”

“So you got everyone that’s on the list?”

“Yeah. Malia and Liam were on the last third. Derek, Isabel, and Malia are looking for Brett’s pack so they can warn them about the dead pool.”

“Someone help!” Stiles and Lydia looked at each other upon hearing Isabel’s voice.

“She’s been shot!” Derek cried. Stiles and Lydia stepped out of the room to see Derek holding Braeden, a couple of nurses coming towards them with a gurney. “I think she’s dying.”

“We’ll take care of her,” Dr. Geyer said. “I swear you two spend more time here than at home.”

“We found her in the Preserve,” Isabel said. “We don’t know what happened. We were walking the trails and found her.”

“So you don’t actually know her?”

“We’ve met before but we’re not friends. We only know her first name.”

“Thanks, Isabel. We’ll take care of her. Don’t worry.” Dr. Geyer followed the gurney, Melissa leaving the room to go do her job. Stiles looked over at Isabel as Derek pushed her wet hair out of her face.

Stiles pulled the dead pool out of his pocket, unfolding it. “Lydia,” he turned to her.

“What?”

“Before you called Parrish about Meredith, I noticed a name that shouldn’t be on the list.”

“What are you talking about?” She looked over the list before she saw the name he was talking about. “Wait a minute…”

“What?” Stilinski asked.

“That’s not possible. He’s dead. Why is he on the dead pool?”

“Who?” Stiles took the paper and showed his father, pointing out the name. “Wait… isn’t that…?”

“Yeah. That’s Isabel’s dad. He shouldn’t be on the list, since he died when Isabel was sixteen, protecting his family.”

“Then why is his name on the list?”

Stiles shook his head. “I’m more concerned with how Isabel is going to react to seeing this.”

 

~~~

 

Sean rode with Lindsey back home, Liam in the backseat.

“What are you going to tell Mason?” she asked.

Liam shook his head. “I don’t know. I can’t tell him Garrett hit me with his car and then stabbed me and threw me down a well.”

“You can still blame Garrett for your disappearance,” Sean suddenly said.

“How?”

“He and Violet are, were, well-known assassins called The Orphans.”

“Wait, how did you know this?” Lindsey asked.

“Talked to Jordan.”

“Oh.”

“Garrett kidnapped you fully intending to use you as a bargaining chip if his attack on the transport didn’t work.”

“That’s kinda what he did anyway,” Liam said.

“Then it won’t be exactly a lie.”

“I like that excuse,” Lindsey said.

“Do you guys do this all the time?” the young beta asked.

“What?”

“Come up with lies to tell the police?” Sean and Lindsey looked at one another.

“It’s the world we’re a part of,” Sean said. “We need to protect the innocent people out there that don’t know about the real world, so the lies are necessary.”

Liam nodded as Lindsey pulled up in front of his house.

“You know, you can stay with us if you’re not ready to go home.”

“No, I need to go home. Mom’s probably worried.”

“I’ll see you at school?”

“Yeah,” Liam opened the door. “Thanks, Lindsey.”

“How else were you going to get home?”

“I meant what you did at the clinic.” Lindsey gave him a puzzled look. “When you held my hand. I felt like everything was going to be okay.”

“Everything will be okay, Liam.”

Liam smiled before shutting the door.

 

 

Sean was leaned back with his eyes closed, ignoring the pain that was going through his body from him, Chris, and Scott getting their asses handed to them by berserkers.

“Do we need to make a side trip to the hospital?” Lindsey suddenly asked. “You look like hell.”

Sean shook his head, opening his eyes. “No. I’ll be fine. I’m just sore.”

“What did you guys go up against? And if you say Godzilla, I’m going to hit you.”

“Two of the berserkers and Kate. She killed Violet. She attacked us when we went into an old Argent warehouse Scott tracked the berserkers to.”

Lindsey pulled into the driveway. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Sean nodded as he stepped out of the car and limped towards the house. “I mean, you’re limping.”

“I’ll be fine. At least I wasn’t stabbed this time.”

“You know, that’s really not funny.”

“Look, Lindsey. I’m fine. Really. I just need some rest. And the max dose of ibuprofen.”

Lindsey smiled as they went into the house. “I’ll get the ibuprofen, then.”

 

~~~

 

Chris dropped his keys on the hall table. He felt as bad as he looked.

“I’m getting too old for this,” he muttered. He worked his left shoulder as he went into the kitchen and grabbed a bag of frozen vegetables and put it against it. He didn’t understand how Kate was able to control the berserkers. She allowed them to give him and Sean a beating before calling them off. Chris’ eyebrows knit together and he looked towards his office. Sean had mentioned wanting to look something up in the bestiary before they left to follow Stilinski and Rafe. With the vegetables still on his shoulder, he stiffly made his way to the office. He sat at his desk and pulled up the bestiary. He typed in the name Sean had mentioned: daemon. Chris hadn’t heard of them himself and hoped that some Argent had. He found a short entry on them. Greek in origin and genuinely believed to be a kind of nature spirit. But the end of the entry caught his attention. A natural defense it had was an immunity against disease, poisons, and other creatures’ abilities. Chris realized how familiar that sounded and reached for his phone. He had to tell Sean what he’d found, having a feeling that Sean was asking about daemons because he knew there was a chance this was what his sister was.

 

~~~

 

“Hey, Isabel,” Stiles greeted.

Isabel looked up. “What are you doing here?” she asked, picking up the water bottle from the vending machine.

“Dad’s here for observation. The berserkers attacked the transport while he and Scott’s dad were transferring Violet to a federal lockup.”

“How bad were they hurt?”

“Rafe was out cold for a while. Dad was the only one able to give a report. They’ll be okay.”

“I’m glad.”

“How’s Braeden?”

“The wound was pretty bad. She just got out of surgery and they said she’s going to need to be under sedation while it heals.” Stiles nodded. “I don’t need to be a wolf to sense you’re about to burst. What’s up?”

“Um, Lydia broke the last part of the dead pool.”

“So we now know who else we need to protect.”

“Derek was the cipher key.”

Isabel froze and then slowly turned to look at him. “What?”

“It might not mean anything.”

“ _Lydia_ found the cipher key. It means a lot.”

“It doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to die because of the dead pool.”

“No, just from other causes.”

“What does that mean?”

Isabel gave a tightlipped smile. “Nothing, Stiles. Who’s on the list?”

Stiles slowly took the printout out of his back pocket and then motioned to the chairs nearby. “You might want to see it yourself. But I suggest sitting first.”

“Why?”

“Just humor me, please.”

Isabel sighed and went and sat with him. Stiles handed her the paper and she scanned over the names. Liam, Malia, and Devin she expected. Then she saw what Stiles was talking about. Everything around her seemed to completely fall away. The only thing she could see was the name staring at her as the bottle fell out of her hand.

“Isabel?”

“That’s… that’s not…,” She looked up at Stiles. “Stiles, this better not be a freaking joke.”

“I swear on my mom’s grave that this isn’t a joke. I saw it myself when Lydia broke it.”

“How? He died. I know he died.”

“Isabel, did you see him die?” She looked back down at the name.

 

_Daniel Evans_

 

Isabel never expected to see her father’s name on the dead pool.


	20. Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isabel goes to Devin about her discovery. The teens prepare for the PSATs. Satomi and Dominic go to Deaton for help with a problem.

Devin wasn’t expecting a knock on his door. He hesitated a moment, remembering the last unexpected visitor he had tried to kill him. The knock turned to a pound.

“Devin! I know you’re in there!”

Devin was relieved that it was Isabel at his door. He opened it and she stormed in. “If I didn’t know better, I would have said you were a Hale. They seem to have a habit of just walking bursting into my apartment like they pay the rent.” He turned around and she slammed a sheet of paper into his chest.

“Did you know?” He could tell she was upset.

“Know what?”

“Did you know he was alive?!”

Devin took the paper, his chest stinging from the force of her hand connecting to his chest. “Who?” He looked at the paper and saw it was a print out of the dead pool. “Should I be concerned that I’m worth seven million?” Isabel didn’t respond. A few names under his was a name that he hadn’t expected. “That’s impossible.”

“Did you know Daddy was still alive?”

Devin shook his head. “No, I didn’t. I swear by all the gods I didn’t know, Isabel.”

Isabel sat on the couch. Devin sat next to her and put an arm around her. “How? Why didn’t he let me know?”

“Maybe he was still protecting you.”

“A letter letting me know he was alive would have been nice. I’ve spent the last nine years thinking he was dead! I know news travels fast through the supernatural community. I know he’s had to have heard that Kenton is dead. Vincent is dead. I thought I lost my entire family, Devin.” Isabel wiped a tear away.

“I really don’t know what to tell you. Now that you know he’s alive, you can look for him.”

She looked at Devin. “Do you have the other two printouts of the dead pool?”

“Yeah.” He reached over to the large book on the coffee table and pulled out two folded sheets of paper. “Why?”

“Do you see a Dominic Edwards?”

 

~~~

 

Sean listened to what Chris had discovered.

“That’s the exact entry in the bestiary?” Sean asked.

 _“Word for word,”_ Chris responded. _“Were you suspecting that Lindsey is a daemon?”_

“I… I was.”

_“Why? I didn’t even know they existed. How did you? Did your family procure one?”_

“Not exactly. It was a story my grandmother told me when I was younger. Right around the time I found out about the real world. Daemons run in my mother’s side of the family. Mom never spoke of it.”

_“Could Emily have been one and passed the gene on to Lindsey?”_

“No. When Isabel lost control in that warehouse, she was affected by the scream and her light burst along with everyone. I mean it’s possible the gene passed to Lindsey. But why would she be the only one to get the gene?”

_“That might be a question to ask Deaton. The entry isn’t very detailed, just they have an immunity to just about everything.”_

“Lindsey has never been sick. So any poison they try to use against her won’t work.”

_“That’s my understanding.”_

“Too bad she isn’t immune to bullets.”

 

~~~

 

“What are you doing here?” Scott asked as he headed into the school building.

“Decided to take the PSATs early,” Lindsey said. “Really wanted to get it over with so I don’t have to do it next year.”

“Smart.” Lindsey smiled halfheartedly. “Are you okay?”

Lindsey glanced around her. “Scott, I think I might actually be one of you.”

“What do you mean?”

“The dead pool. I don’t think it’s a fluke because of me being immune to certain abilities. Deaton was telling me about something called a daemon. And last night I overheard Sean talking to Chris about them. I heard something about being immune to poison and he told Chris I’ve never been sick.”

“What did Deaton say?”

“He said they were elusive and rare. He didn’t get a chance to tell me what they were exactly because you came in with Liam.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. Just don’t mention it to the others yet. Please.” Scott nodded. Kira, Isaac, Malia, and Stiles were waiting with the other students waiting to take their test.

“Lindsey, you do know this is a test for juniors, right?” Isaac said.

“I want to get the torture over with.”

“Where’s Lydia?” Kira asked.

“She took it her freshman year,” Stiles informed them.

“Does that mean I could have taken it some other time?” Malia asked.

“Malia, you studied harder for this than any of us,” Scott reassured her.

“Doesn’t mean I’ll pass it.”

“She has a point,” Lindsey said.

“Look, you’re doing this because while we’re trying not to die, we still need to live,” Scott said.

“Did that make any sense to anyone else?” Scott gave Lindsey a look. “What?”

“If I survive high school, I’d like to go to college. A good college.”

“God, I haven’t even thought about college yet. I don’t even know what I want to do with my life.”

“Glad I’m not the only one,” Malia quipped.

“It’s only three hours,” Kira said. “We can survive three hours.”

“I hope you’re right,” Lindsey said.

 

 

The students filed into the classroom, using their thumbprints to claim their tests and identify themselves.

“Cell phone in the envelope,” Natalie said. She was one of the teachers chosen to supervise the test along with the school board’s test supervisor.

“Please do not open the test booklet until you are instructed to,” the supervisor said. Stiles quickly closed it. Lindsey bit her lip to keep from laughing. He had a pencil behind each ear and one in his mouth. She looked down at the test booklet, taking several deep breaths to calm her nerves. “The test is two hours and ten minutes. There will be two twenty-five minute critical reading sections, two twenty-five minute math sections, and an essay writing portion that will last thirty minutes,” He looked over at Natalie. “There are supposed to be two teachers monitoring this exam.”

“I know,” she replied. “It’s Coach. He’s not exactly punctual. Um, let me try him again.” She picked up her phone and stepped into the hallway.

Lindsey took deep breaths again, her test anxiety threatening to flare up. _You can do this, Lindsey._ she said to herself. _You can do this. Just breathe. Just relax_.

Natalie returned. “I can’t find him, but Mr. Yukimura is upstairs grading papers. Do you want me to try him?”

“We have to start. We can ask his assistance during the first break,” He reached down and started a timer. “You may now open your test booklets and begin.”

 

~~~

 

Dominic waited in the car with Jack while Satomi went to talk to Deaton and to secure his help. The others were in deep hiding, but several had separated themselves when they started feeling off. Jack couldn’t control his shifts at all, even with repeating the mantra. Once Satomi had noticed the black discharge coming from different openings in his body, she recruited Dominic to help her bring him to the Druid. A few minutes later she returned with Deaton. The three of them carried Jack into the clinic, sitting him in a chair. Deaton immediately examined him.

“How does it begin?” Deaton asked.

“With fever,” Satomi answered. “Then shifting becomes uncontrollable. Fangs, claws, even full, unwarranted transformation. Dominic is lucky he has the same healing ability we do. One of the others attacked him right before he died.”

“We moved into the woods after that,” Dominic added.

“Then it progressed faster and faster. They couldn’t stand. But worse than that was this sudden blindness.”

“Total?” Deaton asked.

“They couldn’t see a thing. From there they only had a few minutes left.”

Deaton finished his exam and stood. “I’m going to be honest, Satomi,” he said. “We need to get him to a hospital.”

“Unless Beacon Hills has a hospital that caters to werewolves,” Dominic said. “We’re not exactly going to be able to explain this.”

“Dominic’s right,” Satomi said. “That’s never been an option for our kind. Unless you know something I don’t.”

“Not something. Someone.” Deaton pulled his phone out. “Melissa, I need to ask a favor.”


	21. An Eventful Test

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teens are trapped at the school. Devin has a premonition.

Isabel returned to the hospital, a suspicion in her mind on who the mysterious Dominic Edwards was. As she stepped off the elevator to return to Braeden’s room, she stopped. Realizing she couldn’t sense any supernaturals on the floor. Her heart raced, hoping that the reason she couldn’t sense him wasn’t because he was dead. She all but ran into the room.

“Isabel?” Derek asked, concern on his face. “Are you okay?” Isabel sat on the armrest of the chair. “That was a long trip for something to drink.”

“Stiles found me. His dad was here overnight for observation.”

“Why?”

“Berserkers attacked the truck and took Violet. They left Rafe and Stilinski alive, thank God.”

“No kidding.”

“Lydia unlocked the last third of the dead pool and a name came up than I didn’t expect.”

“Who?”

“My father. I went to Devin to see if he’d know about it.”

“I’m sorry? Did you just say your father was on the dead pool?”

“It really sounds odd now that I’m saying this out loud, but yes, apparently Daddy didn’t sacrifice his life like we thought he did.” She looked down at Derek. “And there’s another thing.”

“What?”

“I can’t sense you anymore.”

 

~~~

 

Lindsey bounced her leg as she took her test, biting on her pencil as she read each question and wondering why she didn’t just wait until her junior year. She heard a thump behind her and turned to see a dark-haired girl had fallen out of her seat.

“Sydney!” Natalie cried running over to her, helping her up. “Are you alright?”

Sydney looked around, embarrassed. “I’m okay,” she said. “I just got kinda dizzy.”

Natalie helped her in her seat then noticed something on her wrist. “How long have you had this?”

“I don’t know.”

“Ms. Martin,” the test supervisor said. “Do I need to stop the test?”

“No, um, it’s fine.” Lindsey glanced over at her friends. “Everyone stay in your seats. I’ll, um, be back in a minute.” Lindsey wasn’t the only one to notice Natalie seemed to be acting different. She said something to the supervisor, which earned an odd look. Scott looked over at Sydney as she looked at her arm.

Lindsey turned in her seat. “You okay?” she whispered. Sydney nodded.

“Miss Chasseur, face forward please.” Lindsey turned around.

 

A few minutes later they heard Natalie yelling. “Get back! No! Do not come in here! Get back outside!” This drew the entire classroom into the hall to see what was going on. Natalie turned and saw everyone. “Back to your seats. Now.” Everyone shuffled in, Scott coming in last and closing the door. He stopped and turned his head as if he were listening.

“What?” Lindsey asked in a whisper.

“She’s calling the CDC.”

 

~~~

 

Stilinski pulled up to the school to see the Centers for Disease Control setting up a quarantine.

“If zombies are real, I’m so freaking done,” he muttered. He stepped out of the car and headed over to a woman who seemed to be in charge. “Excuse me,” she turned towards him. “Can anyone tell me what we’re dealing with here?”

“Hopefully a false alarm,” she said. “The details provided concerned us and your local authorities enough to order a quarantine. We’re going to need your help ensuring that no one gets in or out of the school.”

“My son is in there.”

“Is it going be a conflict for you? I can call Field Agent McCall. I know he’s in town.”

“His son is in there too. It won’t be a conflict. But it’s going to be one hell of a stressful day. What happens now?”

 

~~~

 

Sean just looked at Devin.

“What?” he asked. “How do you know this?” Devin just looked at him. “You had a premonition of the school being locked down.”

“I saw the kids being killed. Some sort of poison.”

“Devin, I don’t think Lindsey can be poisoned.”

“You don’t want to know how Lindsey and Stiles die.” Sean’s phone rang and he picked up, seeing it was Parrish.

“Yeah?”

_“Sean, I want you to hear this from me before you hear it on the news.”_

“What?”

 _“The CDC has the school on lockdown. No one is coming in or out.”_ Sean couldn’t breathe. _“Sean?”_ The phone fell from his fingers.

“Oh, God!”

 

~~~

 

“So we’re basically now in 28 Days Later?” Lindsey asked. Danny snorted.

“Really?” Isaac asked.

“Hey, I’m not going to discount their existence.” She stepped into the art room to find Scott. He was in one of the quarantine tents talking to Natalie and Sydney.

“We isolate the sick,” Natalie was saying. “And then we wait for instructions.” She put Sydney’s jacket across her lap. “If I’m wrong, they’ll be out of here pretty quickly, and I’m the crazy biology teacher who panicked for nothing.” Natalie left and Sydney looked like she about to start crying.

“You’re gonna be okay,” Scott said, reassuringly.

“It’s not that. The PSATs are the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship. My parents can’t afford to send me to college without it.”

“I’m sure they’ll reschedule,” Lindsey said. “I mean, this wasn’t anyone’s fault.” Lindsey walked over to Sydney and touched her back. “And I bet you’ll get that scholarship.”

Sydney smiled. “Thanks.”

Scott gently pulled on Lindsey’s shirt. “Come on.” They left the room and Lindsey looked at Scott.

“Have you been able to pick up what’s going on?”

Scott shook his head. “Whatever it is, you’re probably the only one in this building that won’t be affected.”

“I know.” They went back into the room with their friends.

 

~~~

 

Braeden was still under sedation. Dr. Geyer had overlooked hospital policy and allowed Derek and Isabel to stay in the room with her, since she had no family they could contact. They both looked up when Melissa walked into the room looking like she was on a mission and going straight for Braeden’s IV, pulling a syringe out of her pocket.

“What’s that?” Derek asked as she injected the contents into the line.

“Naloxone,” Melissa answered. “We need to wake her up.”

“I thought she was under sedation so she could rest and heal,” Isabel said.

“That was before Noah called me to tell me the CDC put the high school under quarantine.”

“Everyone but Liam is at the school today for the PSATs,” Isabel commented. “Why?” Before Melissa could answer, Braeden shot up and started to look around. Isabel recognized the fight or flight look. She’d done it herself for years before Vincent’s death.

“Braeden, look at me,” Melissa said. Braeden did as she was told. “You were shot, but you’re in the hospital now and you’re fine. Do you understand?” Braeden nodded. “Good. Okay. Last night you were in the woods and you came across another pack. Do you know what happened to them?”

“I told you,” Derek said. “They were poisoned.”

“We assumed they were poisoned,” Isabel corrected.

“No, they were infected,” Braeden said.

“With what? The T virus?”

“One designed to kill werewolves.”

“Well, crap.”

“And it did. It killed them all.”

Melissa’s phone suddenly rang. “It’s Deaton. Hello?”

_“Melissa, I need to ask a favor.”_


	22. Quarantine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stilinski, Rafe, and Sean try to figure out what is going on at the school. The pack struggles to control their other side. Deaton makes an alarming discovery

Sean arrived at the school to see several people milling around the school, most of them worried parents.

“Stilinski!” he called. Rafe went over to him and let him past the tape. “What’s going on?”

“We’re not sure yet,” Rafe answered. Several people in HazMat suits came running out of the building, Stilinski and Rafe running over towards them.

“What happened in there?” Stilinski asked.

“I don’t know,” the head doctor said. “Must have been static electricity.” The three men exchanged looks.

“Any breach of the interior layer?” another doctor asked.

“It’s okay. It just broke the top layer.”

“Any verdict on what we’re dealing with yet?” Rafe asked, irritation coloring his voice. “My son’s in there.”

The doctor looked at Sean. “Do you have a son in there too?”

“No, just a sister that I’m the legal guardian of.”

“Well, you can debrief each other.” The doctor walked away.

“I heard smallpox,” Rafe said. “Any truth to that?”

“It has to be manmade,” Sean said.

“What?”

“I think Sean might be right,” Stilinski said. “I don’t think the Orphans were the only profession killers in Beacon Hills.”

“Devin saw this,” Sean said in a low voice.

“What do you mean? What did he see?”

“A poison made for supernaturals. He saw our wolves die from that.”

“What about Lindsey and Stiles?”

“He wouldn’t tell me. But this poison won’t affect Lindsey, so the assassin is going to have to use a different tactic on her.”

“Why won’t if affect Lindsey? Because of her immunity?”

“Pretty much.”

 

~~~

 

The pack was gathered in the boys’ locker room. Scott, Isaac, and Malia were having trouble keeping their other side hidden. Scott’s eyes kept flashing. Isaac couldn’t make his fangs retract and Malia couldn’t retract her claws.

“Obviously the virus is affecting the three of you in a way it won’t hit any human being,” Ken said.

“You guys have to stay out of sight,” Stiles said. “We have to quarantine you from the quarantine.”

“Has anyone else noticed how much our conversations really don’t make much sense anymore?” Lindsey quipped.

“Shut up, Miss I’m Immune.”

“Can’t help that I’m a supernatural with a natural immunity to everything.”

“Wait, what?”

“Where are we going to quarantine them?” Danny interrupted. “I mean, what if they get violent? Like they would on a full moon.”

Isaac groaned. “I hope it doesn’t affect our control that much. Last time I was out of control I almost tore Stiles apart.”

“Just so you know,” Lindsey said. “I’m going to ask about that later.”

“We can’t stay in the locker room,” Scott said.

“A classroom isn’t going to hold us either,” Isaac pointed out.

“What about the vault?” Lindsey asked.

“What vault?” Ken asked.

“The Hale vault,” Stiles said. “They always have an escape route so there should be another entrance.”

“There’s blueprints in Coach’s office.” They all went into Coach’s office and pulled out the blueprints.

“This is where the school sign is, so the vault’s got to be right about here,” Stiles said.

“I suppose if there’s a second entrance,” Ken said, looking over the blueprint. “It would probably be accessible from the basement.”

“It’s probably in this hallway. West corridor.” Stiles suddenly stumbled. “Whoa.”

“You need to go with them, Stiles,” Lindsey said as Stiles pulled his jacket sleeve up and they saw the same rash looking mark on his wrist.

“You’re getting sick. All of you are.” Ken looked at his daughter.

“I don’t feel sick,” Kira said.

“I think it’s affecting you differently, neurologically. I found your test answers in a pile with the others.” He showed everyone her test answers. Not a single bubble was filled in. Where Kira thought she was filling in bubbles, it looked like she made her own bubbles. There were marks all over the page. Ken looked at Lindsey. “You might need to go in there, too.”

“No, someone needs to stay out here and keep an eye on things.”

“If they notice you getting sick…”

“I’m the only one in this building that whatever this is isn’t going to affect.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I just am,” Lindsey turned from the others. “We need to find that entrance.”

 

 

They found the vault entrance and Malia opened it, luckily her claws were still out.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay, Lindsey?” Isaac asked.

“I’m more worried about you guys. Don’t worry about me. Just take care of each other.” The others stepped inside the vault and Lindsey watched as the door closed. She really hoped that whatever this was didn’t kill them. She wanted to talk to Sean, but Stiles said communications had been shut down to keep a panic from starting. Lindsey turned and went back upstairs, really hoping this wasn’t another attempt at cashing in on the dead pool.

 

~~~

 

Dominic helped Deaton and a dark-haired nurse in blue scrubs whom he assumed was Melissa put Jack on a gurney.

“Okay, this isn’t happening at the school, is it?” Melissa asked.

“School?” Deaton asked. “It’s Saturday.”

“They’re taking the PSATs.” Jack sat up, a black substance coming from his mouth.

“That’s a bad sign,” Dominic said.

“I think we need to hurry,” Satomi said. They pushed Jack into the elevator and Melissa started mashing the button to level two.

“Come on,” she whispered. “Come on.” As Dominic and Satomi watched, Jack stopped breathing and fell limp.

“Jack,” Dominic whispered, holding two fingers against his neck. Satomi looked like she’d lost her child. Melissa stopped mashing the button and turned and looked at them. Satomi was crying and Deaton was rubbing her back. Melissa and Dominic looked at one another. Dominic could see the fear in her eyes.

 

 

“Guys,” Melissa stuck her head in through the door and Derek and Isabel looked up. “Can I get your help with something?”

“Sure,” Isabel said, walking over to her.

“I need you to come with me to the morgue.”

“The morgue?” Derek followed the women out of the room. “Why are we going to the morgue?”

“I think that virus Braeden was talking about is going around the school right now.” They heard a saw and Derek and Isabel glanced at each other. They walked into the morgue with Melissa to see Deaton using the saw on a dead werewolf’s head.

“Well, I’m glad I haven’t eaten recently,” Isabel said. Melissa put on an apron and a surgical mask and joined Deaton. The couple joined Satomi and Dominic.

“Satomi,” Isabel greeted. “Dominic.” Dominic nodded his head at her. Isabel wanted to say something to him, but knew now wasn’t the time. She searched his face, looking for anything she recognized.

“I think I know what did this,” Deaton suddenly said, everyone’s attention going to the Druid. “Unfortunately, if I’m right, and Scott and the rest are infected, it’s not good.”

“Define not good,” Derek said.

“They’re going to die without an antidote.”


	23. Distemper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deaton uncovers what is going around the school, along with the antidote. Stiles and Lindsey come face to face with the assassin. Isabel's suspicions about Dominic are confirmed.

“What are we dealing with?” Isabel asked.

“It’s a variant of canine distemper,” Deaton answered.

Dominic pointed to the dead werewolf on the table. “Jack and the others had distemper?” he asked. “I thought werewolves were immune to disease.”

“Most of the time they are, but this strain has been weaponized. A few years ago, an outbreak in Yellowstone killed forty percent of the wolf population.”

“What’s it going to do to our wolf population?” Melissa asked.

Satomi motioned to her beta. “This apparently,” she said.

“And made to infect quite a bit faster,” Deaton added.

“It infected my whole pack.”

“Everyone except for you two.”

“I would have been worried if it was avian flu,” Dominic said. “Otherwise, I don’t think it would have affected me like it did the wolves.”

“Dominic’s right,” Satomi said. “It was designed for wolves, not Valkyries.”

“Why didn’t it affect you, Satomi?” Isabel asked.

“That is the real question,” Deaton said. “Did you just not get infected? Or are you immune?”

“That can happen, right?” Melissa said. “It happens in humans all the time.”

“But that’s because of genetics,” Satomi said. “I wasn’t born a werewolf, so how could I be immune to this?”

“If your pack was infected,” Derek asked. “Who was doing all the shooting at the entrance to the woods?”

“We found 308 shell casings everywhere,” Isabel added.

Satomi crossed her arms. “Apparently another assassin. Personally, I’d rather face a gun then a variant of smallpox.”

“Sounds like you’re going to get plenty of chances,” Melissa commented. Satomi looked up at Derek and her eyes lingered on his face. Derek glanced over at her and she quickly looked away.

“Sorry,” she said. “I just noticed how much you remind me of Talia.”

Derek gave her a smile. “I actually get that a lot.”

“I used to visit her a lot, you know. Do you remember me?”

“I remember the tea. You always brought that tea that smelled terrible.” Isabel scoffed a laugh.

Satomi smiled. “I brought that tea as a gift. Your mother loved it.” The look on Deaton’s face changed and Isabel could see the wheels turning in his head.

“What kind of tea?” he asked.

“What?”

“The tea with the smell, what kind was it?”

“Reishi. Wild purple reishi. It’s very rare.”

“It’s also a very powerful remedy for sickness. Satomi, you didn’t get infected because you’ve been inoculated.”

“Okay, how rare is it?” Melissa asked. “Can we find it?”

“We won’t have to,” Derek said. “My mother kept some of it.”

“I remember seeing a jar of what I thought was dried leaves in the vault,” Isabel said. “When we put the... the heirloom back in it.” She wanted to confirm her suspicions about Dominic and make sure he wasn’t a Dark before she mentioned the Eye in front of him.

Derek nodded. “That’s the tea. We have to somehow get word to Scott and the others to find that tea.”

 

~~~

 

“Melissa, slow down,” Stilinski said. “So it’s what we were suspecting?”

_“Yes! Some assassin has released a weaponized strain of canine distemper at the school to kill the pack. It means Scott, Kira, Isaac, and Malia are going to die horribly if we don’t get the antidote to them.”_

“What’s the antidote?”

_“It’s a rare tea. Someone needs to get inside and tell them the tea is in the vault.”_

“I can’t just walk in there, Melissa.”

 _“Find a way and hurry!”_ Melissa hung up and Stilinski sighed.

“What was all that about?” Sean asked.

Stilinski motioned for the two men to follow him. “Deaton figured out what this was. Melissa called me to tell me that it’s canine distemper and Scott, Kira, Isaac, and Malia are the targets. Someone needs to find a way in to tell them.”

“We need to distract the doctors and someone needs to put on the HazMat suit and haul ass in there.”

“I’ll do it,” Rafe volunteered. “If I end up having to defend these kids against whoever released the virus, I’m pretty sure I won’t be charged with murder.” Rafe looked at Sean. “You would be.”

“Fair enough.”

“Come on.” Stilinski and Sean walked over to the doctors as Rafe waited until they were distracted enough to grab a HazMat suit.

 

~~~

 

Lindsey stood outside the tent, biting her lip and looking in on Danny. He’d fallen ill about an hour ago. She was praying that whatever this was, wasn’t lethal.

“Lindsey.”

Lindsey turned, surprised to see Stiles. “What happened? Where are the others?”

“They’re okay for now. I needed to find out what was going on.”

“You look like hell.”

“I’m fine. Have you figured anything out?” Lindsey shook her head and Stiles noticed Danny in the incubator tent. “Oh, no.”

“Absolutely nothing. But I can see your and Scott’s dads outside with my brother. And these doctors won’t tell us anything. I’m terrified, Stiles.” Stiles pulled her into a hug. And noticed Coach Finstock in the tent next to Danny’s.

“Coach? He’s sick?”

Lindsey turned when Stiles released her. “Yeah. They brought him while we were looking for the vault. Come to think of it, I think he’s the only adult who got sick.”

He took Lindsey’s wrist. “We’re going to search Coach’s office.”

“We are?”

“Come on.” Lindsey didn’t protest his dragging her along this time. The two practically ransacked Coach’s office.

“What are we looking for?” she asked.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know? We’re ransacking his office and you don’t know what we’re looking for?” After some frantic searching on Stiles’ part, he finally sat at Coach’s desk with his head in his hands. Lindsey walked over to him and rubbed his back. Stiles started going through permission slips that were laying on the desk. Each one had **APPROVED** stamped in red ink. “What are you doing?” The red ink gave way to black. “Stiles?” Stiles had this look on his face like he was figuring something out. He picked up Coach’s coffee cup, black ink fingerprints all over it.

“It was the ink,” he said. “The poison is in the ink. It’s the test supervisor.”

“But what did he poison everyone with?”

“I was wondering how that idiot got sick,” a man’s voice sounded from behind them. Stiles jumped up and Lindsey spun around. The test supervisor was screwing a silencer on a handgun. “I’m also wondering where your friends are. Since in order to get paid by the Benefactor, I need to have proof they’re dead.” Lindsey’s heart raced. If he was an assassin cashing in on the dead pool, she was going to be next. There was no doubt in her mind that he was going to shoot her and collect the 17 million she was worth dead.

“Visual confirmation,” Stiles said, pushing Lindsey behind him, having the same thought she was.

The assassin pointed the gun at them. “Exactly.” He walked over and grabbed them both, shoving them into the locker room. Lindsey was shaking. “You still look feverish, Mr. Stilinski. But you should know something. The virus doesn’t kill humans, you’ll get better. So don’t you think you should tell me where they are?” He looked at Lindsey. “Either one of you?”

“I think I saw them in the library,” Stiles said. “Or it might have been the cafeteria. It was definitely one of those two.”

The assassin grabbed Lindsey’s arm and spun her around to face him. “Mr. Stilinski, I didn’t come here for Miss Chasseur, but would you want her death to be on your hands?”

“Oh, God,” Lindsey whispered as he pointed the gun at her head.

“The virus doesn’t seem to be affecting her at all, but I’m going to count to three, then I’m going to kill her.” Lindsey’s breathing quickened, her heart about to beat out of her chest from how terrified she was at this moment. Stiles looked over at her as he pressed the barrel to her forehead.

“Don’t tell him anything, Stiles,” she said, her voice quivering slightly and betraying how scared she was.

“One…” Despite her terror, Lindsey looked him in the eye.

“Lindsey.”

“Don’t tell him where they are.”

“Two…” Lindsey continued to look him in the eye. “What are you doing?”

“If you’re going to kill me, you’re going to look me in the eye when you do. I hope you choke on your money.” A gun suddenly went off, spraying blood on her and Stiles. A gaping hole was in the middle of the assassin’s forehead. Lindsey gave a ragged breath as she realized that she wasn’t going to die in the next two seconds. Someone in a HazMat suit walked into the room, a handgun in their hand. They took the hood off and they saw it was Rafe.

“Oh, thank God you showed up,” Lindsey said.

“Where the hell did you come from?”

“You need to listen carefully,” Rafe said. “Melissa called Noah and said there’s an antidote. It’s in the vault. Reishi mushrooms. It’s in a jar on one of the shelves. She said to tell Scott it’s in the vault.” Lindsey took off, Stiles right behind her. The two ran downstairs to the basement, hoping they weren’t too late.

 

~~~

 

Melissa called Stilinski to tell him what they found out. “I hope the message makes it to them in time,” she said.

“I hope so too,” Isabel added.

“We need to get to the school,” Derek said. Isabel nodded in agreement.

“What about the others at Lookout Point?” Satomi asked.

“If we can get into the vault, I can get the antidote to them quickly,” Dominic said.

“We can’t do that in the broad daylight,” Isabel countered. “I’m pretty sure people would see us.” The elevator dinged, announcing someone about to get off.

“We’ll discuss it on the way, then.” The doors opened and a blond woman stepped out, aiming a gun at them. Isabel pushed Derek away as the shot went off. Satomi pulled a metal spike out of her jacket as Isabel gave a Scream. Dominic was hit in the shoulder as Satomi charged faster than anyone could anticipate, dodging the bullets she was firing. She attacked the woman, driving the spike into her neck.

“Derek!” Isabel cried, seeing him holding his side.

“I’m fine.” Deaton and Melissa ran out of the room as Dominic went to make sure his Alpha was unhurt.

Isabel lifted Derek’s shirt and saw the bullet wound. “I wasn’t fast enough.”

“I’m okay. I’ll live.” Isabel flicked out the talons on her right hand and dug them into her left palm, before pressing the wound to his. Dominic approached them. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I can let Melissa drag you upstairs and put you in a room.” Derek scoffed a laugh.

“Are you okay, Butterfly?” Dominic asked. Isabel froze, her suspicion confirmed. Derek looked at her, a concerned look on his face.

“I’m fine,” she answered after a moment. “Daddy.”


	24. Family Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel explains himself to Isabel. Devin recruits an unlikely ally

Dominic just looked at Isabel. She was still tending to Derek, but he could feel everyone else’s eyes on him. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out as if his vocal cords had been severed.

“How did you know it was him?” Derek asked as Isabel’s blood finished its job.

“When I looked over the entire dead pool.” Isabel stood and turned to Dominic. “When I saw there was no Dominic Edwards on the list.”

“I wanted to tell you, Isabel.” Dominic finally said. “But you had a life now. Someone that loves you. I didn’t want to barge in on that.”

“So you left me to find out from a hit list of supernatural creatures? When you heard about Vincent and Kenton, you couldn’t have sent a letter? A phone call? Anything to let me know you weren’t dead.”

“I’m sorry. I know I should have. I just… I didn’t know how to walk back into your life again.”

“‘Hi, Isabel. This is your father. I’m alive and well.’ How hard could that be?”

“Wait a minute…,” Melissa said, looking between the two.

“This isn’t the place to discuss this. Not while lives are in danger.”

“Show me your eyes.”

“What?”

“Show me your eyes. Your real eyes.” Dominic sighed and flashed his eyes, bright blue, although not as bright as Isabel’s. “Good. He didn’t force you to turn. This discussion isn’t over.” She went past him and into the elevator. “You guys coming?”

 

~~~

 

Lindsey and Stiles ran down the hall screaming Scott’s name.

“In the vault. In there with you!” Stiles said.

“It’s called reishi mushrooms!” Lindsey cried. “It’s in a jar on one of the shelves. It’s the antidote!” Neither heard anything. “Scott!” She started banging on the wall. “Scott!”

Stiles joined in on the banging and screaming. “Scott! Open the door! Please! Scott!” They did this for several minutes. “Scott!” Silence. The adrenaline from having a gun to her head started to wear off and Lindsey fell to her knees, shaking and sobbing. “Scott…”

Stiles put his head against the stone. “We were too late,” he whispered. He slid down the wall and pulled Lindsey close to him. “We were too late.” Lindsey sobbed into his shoulder. They were in that position for several minutes before the wall started to slide open. Lindsey and Stiles moved back. Scott fell out of the doorway, panting. He looked around and saw Stiles, looking at him like a dying man in the desert seeing an oasis.

“You’re okay?” Stiles asked. Scott nodded. They went into the vault to check on the others. Stiles ran to Malia, who hugged him.

“You came back!” she cried.

“I’ll never leave you behind.”

“Why are you covered in blood?” Isaac asked when he pulled away from Lindsey’s hug. Lindsey had forgotten about that and reached up and touched her cheek and looking down at the blood on her fingers.

“Rafe killed the assassin that did this,” Stiles said as Lindsey’s legs turned to jelly, the adrenaline disappearing and the shock that she almost died setting in.

“Lindsey!”

“I want Sean,” she whispered, tears in her eyes. “I want my brother.”

 

Sean shoved his way through the crowd of students and CDC workers. “Lindsey!” he called. Stilinski made a beeline to the locker room, Sean followed. Rafe was standing over a body, a pool of blood around his head. “Oh, God!”

“Lindsey and Stiles ran that way,” he indicated.

“That leads to the basement. Who’s this guy?”

“Our assassin. I caught him trying to kill Lindsey.”

“He what?!”

“Go find your sister,” Stilinski said.

Sean ran in the direction Rafe had indicated. “Lindsey!” he called. “Lindsey!” Sean turned a corner and almost ran into Malia.

“Just the person she wants to see,” she said, turning around and leading the way back to the vault.

“Where’s Lindsey?”

“Freaking out.” They reached the vault. Scott had his arm around Kira while Stiles and Isaac were in the floor with Lindsey.

Sean rushed into the room. “Lindsey.”

“Sean!” Lindsey all but jumped into his arms and threw her arms around his neck.

“It’s okay. You’re okay. You’re okay.” Lindsey cried into his shoulder. He glanced over at Stiles. “I know what Rafe told me. Did that son of a bitch go after my sister?”

Stiles shook his head. “He said he wasn’t after her, but he would kill her if I didn’t tell them where the rest of the pack was hiding.”

“That explains why the two of you are covered in blood.”

“I think the shock just hit her.”

“You don’t say?” Sean stood, his sister still clinging to him. “Come on, Lindsey. Let’s go home.”

 

~~~

 

Isabel opened the loft door to see the man everyone knew as Dominic Edwards. She took a step back and he walked in.

Derek was leaned against the post. “Do you need me to leave so you two can talk?” he asked.

Isabel shook her head. “No, we promised not to keep things from each other, remember?” Derek smiled, knowing it was a jab at her father.

“I know you’re angry.”

“I spent the last nine years believing I was the last of my family. I want to know why.”

“You deserve that.” Derek motioned to the couch and chairs around the coffee table. “I’ll officially introduce myself to you, Derek. I’m Daniel.” He held his hand out as Isabel rolled her eyes. Derek shook his hand. “Although I was under the impression you were a werewolf.”

“That’s a long and complicatedly story and we’re not here to talk about me.”

“Point taken.” Derek sat next to Isabel while Daniel sat in the chair on the other side of the coffee table. “Where do you want me to start?”

“Since I already know that this war between Pure and Dark started because of the Eye of Odin and the fact that Kenton couldn’t handle the fact Mama chose you over him, why don’t you start on the day I thought you died?”

“You knew about the Eye and what started the split?”

“Thanks to Devin Greene.”

“The Greenes were a good family. I heard Devin was the only one to survive. I heard they were Pure to the end.” Isabel and Derek looked at each other, both trying to hide their amusement. “What?”

“That’s not exactly a false statement,” Derek said. Isabel smirked. Daniel only shook his head and decided to ignore it for now.

“My intention that day was to allow Esther time to escape with you and your brother. I was fully expecting to die that day, but Kenton decided I was more valuable to him alive. I think his intention was to use me to get to the rest of you. But it turned out that he didn’t need me to break my family apart. Vince showed up a month or so later, his anger at Esther turning his heart.” Daniel closed his eyes, remembering the heartbreak and shame he felt seeing his son with the ebony wings of a Dark Valkyrie. “Kenton kept me prisoner, using me to keep your brother in line. I’ll not repeat what was done to me to try to force me down the Dark path.”

“What kept you from going Dark?” Derek asked.

Daniel looked at Isabel. “My daughter.” Isabel just looked at him. “I didn’t know for sure that Esther was dead, but I knew I had to keep that promise I made for my daughter. There were days I felt like just giving up and giving in, just to make the pain stop. Then I would think of Isabel and know I had to stay strong.” He leaned forward. “But there came a day I couldn’t handle any more of the torture and I made a desperate attempt to escape. It nearly cost me my life.”

“What happened?”

“I was weak from the torture and I was wounded as I fought my way out. Luckily, Kenton wasn’t there at the time, or we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I managed to pass into California from Nevada. I intended on coming to Beacon Hills and the protection of Talia Hale, but I didn’t make it that far.”

“Satomi found you, didn’t she?”

“One of her pack did. I don’t know how long she tended to me, but I never told her who I really was. I gave her the name of Dominic so I could hide from Kenton. I kept my powers to myself, hoping that word of a Pure Valkyrie in California wouldn’t reach him.”

“Until Vincent used Romero track me to Beacon Hills,” Isabel said.

“I think you know the rest of the story. As long as Kenton was still alive, I couldn’t risk reaching out to you.”

“You knew I was in Beacon Hills?”

“I heard the rumors of Vincent being killed here. The rumors of a powerful Valkyrie in the area. I just didn’t realize it was actually you until I saw you at the game.”

“And when you found out we’d killed Kenton? What was your excuse then?”

“The one I gave at the hospital. You looked like you had settled in Beacon Hills. I saw the way you looked at Derek and I knew you were where you belonged. That you’d moved on with your life. I didn’t want to put a wedge in that. But it seemed the dead pool did that for me.” Isabel stood and walked towards the window. Daniel followed her. “I understand you are angry with me for that and I don’t expect you to forgive me. Just give the word and I will never bother again.” Isabel was silent for several moments. Derek stood to go to her. Until Isabel suddenly turned around and pulled Daniel into a hug.

“I have my dad back,” she whispered. “I don’t want you to go anywhere.”

 

~~~

 

Devin rubbed the back of his neck. He’d had the most disturbing premonition to date. He’d seen a lot of death but nothing to that extent. Dozens of werewolves lying dead. He couldn’t erase the images from his mind. Scott and Satomi, Derek and Isabel, Daniel, Braeden, Chris, Sean and Lindsey, himself. So many dead. So many bodies. Innocent men, women, and children cut down for what they were. Werewolves and Valkyrie, kitsune and humans. It was a massacre he was desperate to prevent. With a shaky hand, he picked up the phone. He scrolled through his contacts. He was sure the others would kill him for this but it was the reason he’d talked her into saving herself, into having a will to live. And they needed her now. He hit her name and waited for her to answer. It rang several times before she answered.

_“Hello?”_

“Lilith, I need your help.”


	25. Lindsey's Mystery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia discovers what Lindsey is. Malia has a scare. The pack makes a plan to catch the Benefactor.

“They’re not going to want my help,” Lilith White said. She was sitting in the kitchen of the studio apartment she was renting in San Francisco. The city had a large witch community, although she’d kept to herself. She’d kept in contact with Devin. She felt he was her only friend, despite what she’d done to him to draw Peter to her in her anger at him. It had been Devin and Peter that convinced her to help the pack to begin with. And Devin had ultimately saved her life when the guilt of what she had done made her want to die.

_“They’re going to need you. Everyone in the pack is on a dead pool.”_

“What?”

_“We’re trying to protect everyone on it, but we’ve failed so many.”_

“You’ve seen something, haven’t you?”

_“I saw a warehouse. Most of the people on the dead pool were there. The warehouse was attacked. They fought back. Everyone there was killed. They’re going to die in that warehouse. I’ve always expected that I would see my own death, but I didn’t expect to die in vain.”_

“What?” Lilith’s heart constricted. “You were in that warehouse?”

_“This is the first time I’ve felt like I belong, but I can’t let the only people that have ever accepted me despite what I did and what I became to die. And we all will if you don’t come. We need you. We need your magic.”_

“Is this what you meant that night? When you said Beacon Hills and the pack would eventually need me?”

_“Yes. I saw you standing side by side with us. I just couldn’t see what we were standing against. I think that time has come. Will you help us?”_

 

~~~

 

Scott waited for Rafe at the sheriff’s station. They were the only ones there. Scott listened in on his father as he did incident paperwork. “Preliminary notes on firearm discharge incident,” he heard Rafe say and realized he was recording his voice. “Assailant armed with sound-suppressor equipped Walther P88. Having heard the perpetrator’s threat and countdown, I made visual confirmation of the barrel of the weapon pressed to the potential victim’s head. Determining the danger to be imminent, I felt no other choice but to respond with the use of deadly force.” Scott sighed, hearing the changes in his heartbeat. He knew Rafe would have rather brought him in alive, but killing him saved Lindsey and Stiles, which in turned save him, Isaac, Kira, and Malia. The event had traumatized Lindsey and she wouldn’t talk to anyone but her brother. She had nothing but bad things happen ever since her father forced her into their world. From the moment she saw Isabel in that warehouse, her world and innocence had been shattered. Sean would have given anything to give his sister that innocence back.

Rafe stepped out of Stilinski’s office. “Thanks for waiting. I know you’re wanting to go home.” He stepped up to his son and Scott noticed he had his gun and the bullets in evidence bags. “I’m going to have to drive back to San Francisco tonight. I’ll need to do a review at the field office. But I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“It’s fine, Dad.”

“What about you? Are you okay?”

“I am now. It’s really not the first time someone has tried to kill me.”

“That’s not reassuring.” Scott gave a half smile and Rafe looked down at the bags in his hand. “What I did was necessary. Justifiable. You know that, right?”

“You saved Lindsey’s life. Just because I choose not to take a life, doesn’t mean I’m going to judge you because you had to. Derek, Peter, Isabel, Devin, Malia they’ve all taken lives.”

“Peter wasn’t exactly justified.”

“I know, but not my point.”

“It’s not easy, taking a man’s life. Even when I killed Vincent, it wasn’t easy, despite knowing all the evil he’d done and all the lives he’d taken.”

“How do you deal with it?”

“You look at it logically. Without emotion. You compartmentalize.”

“How do you do that?”

Rafe smiled. “I used to do it by drinking.” Scott smiled. “It’s a little harder now that I quit. And it’s harder when it’s someone you know and love, or you’ve killed to save someone you know and love.” Scott hugged Rafe, hitting him at that moment how he could have died and he would never have seen his parents again.

“Thanks, Dad,” he whispered.

“I might have to miss the first game of the season, though.”

“It’s no big deal.”

“It is to me. I said I’d be around more. I want to keep that promise. Besides, last game I missed, someone tried to kill you.”

Scott laughed. “I’m pretty sure I’ll be okay.”

“Come on. Let’s get you home so your mom doesn’t freak out with worrying about you.”

 

~~~

 

Lydia and Danny went to the Chasseurs’ house. Sean answered the door.

“Hi, Sean,” she greeted. Sean gave her a smile and stepped aside, inviting her in. Lydia stepped through the door. “How’s Lindsey?”

“I… I really don’t know. Stiles told me what happened, but I don’t know if she’ll recover from this.”

“She’s had so much happen in such a short time. Finding out about our world, losing your parents, almost losing you. Then nearly dying to protect her friends.”

“Why did this guy want to know where Scott and the others were so badly?”

“I was in isolation,” Danny said. “I didn’t really know what was going on with anyone at that point.”

“The assassins need visual confirmation that their target is dead in order to get paid. He couldn’t get paid for Scott, Isaac, Malia, and Kira unless he had proof of their deaths.”

“So they were keeping him from cashing in on their friends’ deaths?”

Lydia nodded. “If Rafe hadn’t killed him, he would have cashed in on Lindsey.”

Sean rubbed the back of his neck. “I think you guys need to know something about Lindsey.”

“She’s a supernatural creature.”

“How did you know?”

“Well, she told me,” Danny said, before motioning to Lydia.

“And aside from her being on the dead pool?” She pulled her iPad out of her purse. “I have a copy of the bestiary. Ever since Isabel told us that she didn’t sense that Lindsey was a supernatural, I did some research, looking at every creature that had any kind of immunity.” She tapped the screen before handing it to Sean.

“I don’t read Archaic Latin.”

“I’ve been working on translating it to English. Tap the notes.” Sean did so and an English translation came up. “Daemon was the only creature I found that fits everything that Lindsey can do.” She pulled a printout from purse. “I cross-checked with the Hales’ bestiary and I have no doubt in my mind, this is what Lindsey is.” Sean read the entry from the Hales’ bestiary. “But I’m just telling you what you already knew.”

“There were daemons on Mom’s side of the family. Her grandmother was one. I think her family had one every couple of generations. I just didn’t connect Lindsey being one until her name showed up on the dead pool being worth twenty one million. They’re not really that common.” Sean rubbed his forehead. “I need to tell Lindsey this.”

 

~~~

 

“Dad?” Malia called. “Are you home?” Stiles and Scott were with their fathers, their almost deaths making them want to spend time with them. Kira was with her parents for the same reason. Since Isaac had no one but the pack, he’d taken Malia home. He’d declined her invitation to come to the apartment with her, opting instead to go home. Melissa had opened her home to him, knowing he didn’t have anywhere else to go and treated him like her own son. Malia shut the door, sniffing the air.

“Dad?” She could smell Peter’s scent and knew he was there. She instantly became worried that he wasn’t answering. Malia cautiously walked into the living room, looking for any scent that shouldn’t be there. As she passed the bar separating the kitchen and the living room, she saw Peter’s arm. “Dad!” She ran over to him, afraid that he’d been poisoned like she had. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw he didn’t have the signs and she could hear his heartbeat. “Dad!” Peter was out cold for some reason. There was no sign of a struggle. Malia pulled her phone out and called Devin, being the only one who could come the fastest.

_“Hello?”_

“Something’s wrong with my dad!” she cried. “He’s just lying here!”

 _“I’m coming down.”_ Malia kept trying to illicit a response from Peter.

Devin didn’t bother to knock. “Malia.”

“Kitchen.” Devin came around the bar. He crouched down next to Peter. “I found him like this.”

“Let’s get him out of the kitchen,” Devin helped Malia carry him to the living room. “Have you called anyone else?”

Malia shook her head. “You were the closest. Is he dying?”

“I don’t know. I’ll call Deaton.” Devin pulled his phone out of his pocket and went to diel the Druid. Peter’s hand suddenly shot out and grabbed Devin by the throat. He dropped his phone and grabbed Peter’s wrist with both hands.

“Dad!” Malia cried. Devin struggled to pry Peter’s hand away.

“Peter!” he croaked. Peter opened his eyes and Malia saw they were glowing bright blue.

“Dad!”

He blinked several times before they went back to their normal blue and he released Devin, seeming to realize what he was doing. Devin fell backwards, coughing and holding his throat. “Oh, my God!” Peter said. “I’m so sorry, Devin.”

“What happened? Are you okay?”

“I… I don’t know. Last thing I remember was being in the kitchen. Then everything blacked out.” Devin was still coughing and gasping for breath. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what I was doing.” Devin waved him off.

“You almost killed him.”

“I’ll heal,” Devin whispered. “You okay, Peter?”

“You’re asking if _I’m_ okay?!”

“You don’t know what happened today, do you?”

Peter looked at Devin confused. “What?”

“An assassin released a virus at the school during the PSATs. Scott, Isaac, Kira, and Malia almost died from it and Lindsey and Stiles were almost killed for hiding them.”

“What?!” Peter turned to his daughter.

“I’m fine, Dad. Deaton figured out there was an antidote and we were able to get it in time.” He pulled Malia close to him. Malia hugged him.

“I’m going to go. Let you have some father-daughter time.” Devin staggered to his feet, the bruise Peter left visibly healing. Peter opened his mouth and Devin held his hand up. “I’m fine. Take care of your family.” With that, he turned and left the apartment.

 

~~~

 

“You knew?” Sean asked. Lindsey was sitting crossed-legged on her bed, the pillow she’d been hugging before they came in now next to her, Lydia sitting on the other side.

Lindsey nodded. “Deaton mentioned them the night the berserkers attacked Scott. And I overheard you talking to Chris.”

Sean looked down. “I wanted to make sure first. Grandma never got to tell you the family stories. She wanted to wait until you found out about the world.”

“But she died before I did.” Sean nodded, sitting on the end of the bed. Lindsey looked at him and smiled. “It’s nice to know what I am. That there’s a reason that Lilith couldn’t touch me or Isabel didn’t hurt me when she lost control.” She looked at Lydia. “Do you think I’ll get superpowers too?”

Danny laughed. “I think she’ll be okay,” he said.

 

**A FEW DAYS LATER…**

 

Scott opened the door to see most of the pack at the door. “Did you bring them?” he asked as he led them to the kitchen. Liam, Kira, Lindsey, and Danny all laid their laptops on the table.

“How many cameras are there?” Kira asked. “Will this be enough?”

“This will be plenty,” Danny said. “I can also rig all the laptops to connect to mine if I have to.”

“Are we really doing this?” Liam asked. Lindsey looked at him.

“We’re doing it,” Scott said. “Tonight.”

“But isn’t it kinda dangerous?”

“I think most of what we do is dangerous,” Lindsey quipped.

“It is incredibly dangerous,” Stiles said. “And borderline idiotic.”

“Borderline? This is the worst plan you could have come up with.”

“Have you guys done something like this before?” Liam asked.

“Something dangerous? Or something idiotic?”

“Yes to both,” Isaac quipped.

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” Scott said. Liam looked at Lindsey.

“He’s right, Liam. You can back out.”

“I’m not scared,” Liam said.

Stiles put his hand on Liam’s shoulder. “Then you’re borderline idiotic,” he said. Lindsey smirked and Liam smiled.

“If we do this, we don’t know what’s coming for us. You know that, right?”

“Do we even know something’s definitely coming?” Kira asked.

“The guy that tried to kill us said that he needed visual confirmation before he could get paid,” Lindsey said.

Stiles nodded. “So the idea is, what if you kill someone on the dead pool, but you can’t send the proof?”

“Well, you obviously don’t get paid,” Isaac said.

“But how does that get us any closer to the Benefactor?” Liam asked.

“He still needs to know if the target is really dead,” Scott explained.

“Especially if it’s someone high on the list,” Stiles added.

“So if he wants visual confirmation…,” Liam started, looking at Scott.

“He’s going to have to come get it himself,” he finished.

“We hope,” Isaac added. There was a knock on the door and Isaac went to answer it. He returned with Isabel and Noshiko Yukimura.

“Just so you know,” Isabel said. “This tops the list of stupid plans.”

“Are you sure you want to do this, Scott?” Noshiko asked. Scott nodded.

“You’re an idiot,” Isabel muttered. A smirk threatened to form on Isaac’s lips.

“Then let’s go over the plan one last time.”


	26. A Terrifying Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack puts into motion their plan to catch the Benefactor.

“You have to stay here, ma’am!” the nurse said as the gurney was wheeled into the ER. Isabel stopped at the door.

“Just do what you can for him! Save him!”

“We’ll do what we can.” Isabel gave a ragged breath as Dr. Geyer was paged. She put her hands together and to her lips, fear gripping her heart. “Please survive this,” she whispered. The minutes seemed liked hours as she waited for word. Eventually she started to pace.

Isaac ran into the ER. “Isabel!” She turned towards him. “What happened?”

“I… I don’t know. I found him unresponsive.”

Isaac hugged her. “He’ll be alright. He’s been through worst.”

“I hope so.” After what seemed like an hour, she heard Melissa being paged to the ER. The nurse came back out and shook her head.

“Oh, God! No!”

“You can come back now.” Isabel’s legs felt like jelly as the nurse led her down the hall, Isaac next to her.

Melissa was talking to Dr. Geyer. She suddenly put her hands to her mouth and shook her head. “No!” she screamed. “No!” Isabel and Isaac ran down the hall towards her. “What happened to him?” Isabel caught her as she collapsed, screaming. “What happened to my son?” Isabel held her as she wailed, Isaac blocking her view as they wheeled Scott out of the room.

 

 

“This has to be my worst nightmare come true,” Melissa said as she and Isabel walked into the morgue and over to Scott’s body.

“Let’s hope you don’t actually have to go through this,” Isabel responded as they joined the rest of the pack.

“This is pretty significantly terrifying. He looks dead.”

Noshiko held her hand out. “Give me your hand,” she said. Melissa hesitantly did so and Noshiko placed it over Scott’s heart. “Wait for it.” Melissa felt a single heartbeat and she gave a sigh of relief.

“Is that enough to keep a werewolf alive?”

“Enough for an Alpha.”

“How much time do we have?”

“Forty-five minutes.”

“What happens after that?”

“I bring him back the same way,” Kira answered.

“I meant what happens if he stays like this longer than forty-five minutes.”

“Your nightmare comes true,” Isabel said slowly.

“Did I mention how much I hate this plan?”

 

 

Danny rigged the laptops together and waited for Chris to apply the override receiver. Stiles phone rang and the images from all the security cameras came up.

“It worked,” Stiles said over the phone. The plan was for Stiles, Danny, Liam, Kira, and Lindsey to monitor the cameras for any sign of someone suspicious. Malia and Peter were outside watching the back entrance while Melissa and Noshiko watched the front. Devin, Isabel, Isaac, and Sean patrolled the hospital itself while Chris kept an eye on the door into the morgue. Chris was keeping up with the time they had. Derek was working on baiting the Benefactor.

“What if nobody shows?” Lindsey asked. “We’ll have scared the crap out of Melissa for no reason.”

“Somebody has to show,” Stiles said. “Scott is number one on the list. He’ll want to see for himself.”

“How can you be so sure about that?” Danny asked.

“I… I just am.”

“Lindsey’s right,” Kira said. “What if we’ve done all this for nothing?”

“It’ll work. It has to.”

 

 

“What about him?” Noshiko asked for the third time as a man walked into the front door, looking around as he did so.

“No. He’s here every week with a new self-diagnosis,” Melissa responded.

“Hypochondriac?”

“Prescription drug addict.” Melissa looked down at the timer on her phone for what seemed like the hundredth time. “Why are we doing this?” She looked over at Noshiko, who had a puzzled look on her face. “Why are we asking them to fight these kinds of battles?”

“Because otherwise we would be asking them to run and hide. And we both know Scott won’t do that.” Melissa sighed, knowing he was right.

 

 

 _“I haven’t gotten a response out of him for a while,”_ Derek said over the phone. Isabel was leaned against the wall, keeping an eye on the elevator. _“Anything?”_

“Still no show here. I hope that means he’s on the way here, but I’m not going to hold my breath.”

_“Need me to come up there and help?”_

“No. We have enough people here and truthfully I don’t want you up here in case things go south.”

_“I can still defend myself.”_

“But you can’t heal. If you got hurt, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.”

_“Isabel, I want to do my part. I’m still part of this pack.”_

“I know. It just when you got shot last week. What if it hadn’t been at your side?”

_“Why are you so worried about me getting hurt?”_

Isabel sighed. “You’ve lost your powers, Derek.”

_“We’ll find a way to get them back. I’m going to keep trying to get a reaction out of the Benefactor, you keep an eye out for him.”_

“I love you.”

 _“I love you too.”_ Isabel hung up and turned to see Isaac.

“What do you mean by Derek losing his powers?” he asked.

“You can’t tell the others yet.”

 

 

Lindsey was watching the cameras on her laptop when the camera on the roof lost signal. “Guys, we’ve lost the roof,” she said. Danny’s fingers flew, trying to bring the image back up.

“I’ll go check it out and see what happened,” Kira said.

“I don’t think this is a malfunction,” Danny said. “I’m not getting any kind of signal from the roof camera.”

“That’s why I’m bringing this.” Kira partially unsheathed her katana. she started to leave.

“I’m coming with you,” Liam said, following her.

“And you’re both coming back. Immediately.” The two left and Stiles sighed. “Kids.” Lindsey snickered and Danny smiled.

“Are you worried about your nephew getting hurt?” Lindsey asked.

“My nephew?” Lindsey grinned and Danny snorted a laugh. “Oh, my God, Lindsey! Scott is not his dad. What is wrong with you?” Lindsey laughed as Danny continued to work on the computer.

 

 

Kira and Liam went to the roof and originally saw nothing. Liam took a step forward when one of the transformers suddenly explodes in a shower of sparks. The two jumped back, covering their faces. When the sparks died down, Liam stepped closer to have a better look.

“Looks like someone did something to it.”

Kira felt something behind her and she looked over her shoulder. She gave a gasp and drew her katana. “You just might be right,” she said. Liam turned when he heard the growl. A creature that looked like it was armored in bear bones was walking towards them.

“What the hell is that?” Liam asked.

Kira went into a defensive stance. “A berserker.”

 

 

Sean headed down the hall when the power briefly went out and the backup power came on. He found Chris as the lights flickered.

“Wanna make a guess he’s here?” Sean said. Chris looked like he was in Hunter mode.

“Or something worse.”

“I’m going to choose to be optimistic here.”

“Come on.” They headed back towards the morgue when something grabbed Chris’ arm. Chris spun around and drew his .45 and pointed it at the perpetrator. Lindsey squeaked, her eyes wide as Stiles took a step back. Danny was next to Lindsey, a surprised look on his face.

“How about we not traumatize them any more than they already are,” Sean said as Chris lowered his weapon.

“Don’t startle me like that.”

“Sorry, but power is out in the whole building,” Stiles said. “We lost all the cameras.”

“You three stay with Scott. Text me or Sean if you hear or see anything.”

“How much time do we have left?” Lindsey asked.

“18 minutes.” The three teens went into the morgue while Sean and Chris headed down the hall.

 

 

Melissa and Noshiko had gone back inside the building, Isaac having called Melissa about the plan having a small hitch. Once inside, they were joined by Devin.

“What’s going on?” Melissa asked.

“I don’t know yet," he said. "There is definitely something going on though.”

“I’m guessing the power doesn’t go out often in this hospital,” Noshiko said.

“No. Only when under attack by supernatural creatures,” Melissa answered as they went to look for the kids.

“That happen often?” Devin asked.

“More than you’d think.” They walked into the hospital room where the teens were supposed to be monitoring the cameras. Only to find their laptops. “Where are they?”


	27. Under Siege

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hospital comes under attack. An unexpected ally joins the fight.

Isabel and Isaac headed to the room the others had set up their surveillance in. Melissa, Noshiko, and Devin came out of the room.

“They’re not here,” Melissa said.

“Where are they?” Isabel asked.

“I don’t know.”

“I’ve got their scents,” Isaac said. “I can track them.”

“I’ll go with you,” Isabel turned back to Devin. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I have a bad feeling that it’s dangerous. Get them out of here, Devin.”

“I’m still a kitsune,” Noshiko said.

“Maybe so, but you’re not as strong as you used to be without your tails.” Noshiko couldn’t argue with that. She’d sacrificed eight of them to make the Oni and Void stole the last to gain control of them. Although she didn’t know how Isabel knew about that and wondered if she could sense that she no longer had her tails.

Devin put his hand on her shoulder. “Come on. This isn’t something I’ve seen but I have the same feeling that people are going to get hurt.” Melissa and Noshiko left with Devin and Isaac started tracking.

 

 

Lindsey was standing directly in front of the cooler where Scott was. Danny was leaned against the table in the middle of the room. Stiles was pacing.

“We’re running out of time,” Lindsey said. “We need to find Kira and have her shock Scott back to life.”

“Good idea,” Stiles said, pulling out his phone. “I’ll call Chris and you call Sean.”

Lindsey called Sean, only to reach his voicemail. “He’s not answering,” she said, worriedly.

“Chris isn’t either.” Suddenly someone crashed through the doors. Lindsey gave a scream of surprise.

“Get out of here!” Chris cried. “Run!” Before any of them could move, Kate walked into the room, dragging Sean in by his throat.

“Sean!” Lindsey cried.

“Oh, please tell me that she’s not the Benefactor,” Danny said. Sean swung at her and connected with her stomach. Kate growled and shoved him away. Danny darted over and helped him to his feet.

“Move, Blondie,” she said.

“Have you looked in the mirror lately?”

“Lindsey, don’t,” Sean said. Lindsey was still pressed against the cooler. Stiles stepped in front of her.

“Move out of the way, Stiles. I’m taking the body.”

“Why? Visual confirmation?”

“Don’t worry, handsome. I’m not the Benefactor.”

“Then what do you want with the body?”

“Do you think I’m going to tell you?” Kate’s eyes glowed green and she gave a snarl. A hand suddenly came to rest on her throat, talons resting against her neck. Kate’s eyes widened.

“You’re not the only one here with dual nature, bitch,” Isabel all but growled. Isaac moved around her, growling, his own golden eyes glowing. “So tell us what you want with Scott’s body if you’re not the Benefactor.”

 

 

Devin, Noshiko, and Melissa were heading towards ER when they heard screaming. They stopped and turned back around as two doctors ran past, followed by an orderly.

“What the hell?” Melissa asked. A nurse flew by. Devin’s eyes suddenly began to glow a medium blue, sensing what they were running from.

“Run,” he said, gently pushing the women back before flicking out his talons.

“Devin?” A berserker stepped around the corner.

“Run!”

“Uh, can you face that alone?” Noshiko asked.

“Not really, but I can hopefully slow it down.” He gave a long and loud Scream as Melissa and Noshiko turned and ran. The Scream had no effect on it. The berserker roared back. “Oh, crap.” Devin spun around and ran down the hall after them.

 

 

 

Kate hit the wall of coolers on the opposite side of the room. She grunted as she staggered to her feet. Sean and Chris both had their handguns trained on her.

“You two think you can pull the trigger fast enough?”

“I don’t want to, Kate,” Chris said.

“You’re not going to kill me.”

“Wanna test that theory?” Sean asked.

“We’re not letting you take his body.”

“I don’t know who the hell you are,” Lindsey said. “But you can’t take his body and do whatever you want to do with it. I don’t know if you’re looking for a cure or to cash in on the dead pool yourself. But you just walked into a trap we had for the Benefactor.”

“And in case you didn’t notice,” Chris said. “You’re on that list too and worth a hell of a lot.”

“That’s why I’m here,” Kate argued.

“Then back off,” Isabel said. “Let us do what we planned. Take the berserkers and get the hell out of here.”

“This is the second time you’ve let me go.”

“Don’t expect a third.”

 

 

Liam and Kira attacked the berserker, the creature effortlessly countering their blows. It grabbed Liam by the throat and threw him several feet. Liam hit the fencing around the blown transformer hard. The berserker then focused on Kira. Kira held her own for several attacks before the berserker landed a punch. Kira hit the ground and was out for a brief moment.

“Kira!” Liam cried. “Kira! Get up!” Kira went into a defensive stance again. The berserker went after them again and this time they defended. Liam was thrown back again.

“Liam, run!” Kira cried. “Get out of here!” Liam was back on his feet, growling. He attacked again. “Liam!” Liam managed to push the berserker back. Kira joined in. The berserker knocked both of them back again. Then it charged at Kira. Liam pushed Kira out of the way and braced himself. But inches from barreling into him, it suddenly froze, it’s back arching backward.

“You guys are uglier in person then I expected,” a woman’s voice said. The two teens looked to see a dark haired woman holding her arm out, her hand positioned like she was holding something. She raised her other arm and the berserker slid away from Liam. They heard a loud roar and the berserker struggled against the unseen force that held it. The woman shoved her arms outward and the berserker staggered back, falling off the edge of the building. “I was not expecting berserkers.” She turned towards Liam and Kira.

“Lilith?” Kira asked, surprised to see the witch. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard you guys needed some help. I’m here to offer what help I can give.”


	28. Backfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack's plan fails. Lilith reveals new information. Parrish finds himself in a bind.

Scott gave a cry as he woke up, startling everyone in the room. The first person he saw was Kira and he instantly pulled her into a kiss.

“I think he’s going to be okay,” Isabel said.

“What happened?” Scott asked after he broke away. “Did it work?”

“No,” Sean said. “Attracted a jaguar instead.” Lindsey was standing next to him while he held his side.

“What?” Liam ran into the morgue. Everyone turned to him.

“It’s your mom and Devin,” he said. “They’re hurt.” Isabel exchanged a look with someone out of Scott’s line of vision. Kira looked back at Scott.

“Go,” Chris said. “We’ll take care of Scott.” Kira turned and ran out the door, Isabel and, to his complete surprise, Lilith White, followed.

“Why is Lilith here?” Scott asked as he sat up.

“I don’t know,” Lindsey answered. “She just showed up and said that she heard about the trouble Beacon Hills was having and wanted to offer her help.”

 

 

Melissa and Devin were trying to stop the bleeding in Noshiko’s side, the wound deep.

Dr. Geyer ran up to them. “What the hell happened here?”

“Just get a gurney and help us get her off the floor,” Melissa said. Dr. Geyer ran to get the gurney. Devin was losing just as much blood from his own wounds. “Why aren’t you healing?”

“I don’t know.”

“Mom!” Kira cried running towards Noshiko. “What happened?”

“Berserker,” Melissa said. “One of them came after us. Devin tried to fight it.”

“You what?” Isabel asked.

“I was giving them time to run.”

“Is all this blood hers?” Kira asked. Dr. Geyer returned with the gurney and he, Melissa, and Devin put Noshiko on it.

“Are you hurt, sir?”

Devin shook his head. “No, just get her taken care of.” Melissa and Dr. Geyer wheeled her away, Kira following her.

Lilith waited until they were down the hall, before she turned to Devin. “How bad is it?”

“I’m not healing and I don’t know why.”

“Sit down,” Isabel ordered. He limped over to the room nearest to them and sat in the chair in there. Isabel pulled his shirt up and they saw a deep wound across his back, damaging the tattoos that hid his wings.

“I won’t be able to go into my full form until it heals.”

“There’s something in their weapons that messes with our healing. The same thing happened to me when I faced them at the school.” Lilith dug through a drawer and came back with a tongue depressor, handing it to Isabel. Isabel nodded as it rippled, turning into a small knife.

“Work on his leg,” Lilith said. “I’ll do his back.”

Isabel cut her hand and pressed the wound to Devin’s. “Don’t scream.”

 

~~~

 

Isabel pulled open the door to the loft to see Braeden teaching Derek how to use a gun. Or rather how to take the gun out of someone’s hand. Braeden seemed to be taking it from Derek more. He seemed to be frustrated that she was succeeding.

“I take it you gave up trying to get a response,” Isabel commented.

Derek gave a sigh. “Yeah.” He looked over at Isabel as she closed the door. “Did he show up?”

“Nope, but Kate and the berserkers did. She was trying to steal Scott’s body.”

“Why?” Braeden asked.

Isabel shrugged. “She wouldn’t say. Which is suspicious in itself.”

“No kidding,” Derek agreed. “She likes to brag about her plans, especially if she has the upper hand.”

“Maybe that’s why she wouldn’t tell us. We had the upper hand at that point. Noshiko is being taken to a hospital in Palo Alto.”

“What happened?”

“Berserker got her and Devin. Because Devin is an idiot and tried to fight it off.”

“They’ll be okay?”

“I had to help with Devin’s healing process. You won’t guess who showed up.”

“Who?”

“Lilith.”

“The same Lilith that tried to kill Sean and trapped you and Peter in your heads?”

“The very same one.”

“Why is she here?”

“She somehow heard about the dead pool and came to offer her help.”

“I might have an idea on how she heard about it.”

“What? You think she’s the Benefactor?”

Derek shook his head. “Of course not, but Devin did tell her that Beacon Hills and the pack would need her magic when she was dying.”

 

~~~

 

“I didn’t see it,” Sean was telling Dr. Geyer. “I came because I heard about Lindsey’s friend being rushed in. Next thing I know, I’m on the pavement and finding it hard to breathe.” Sean couldn’t hide the fact that Kate had broken some ribs in their fight, so a story was rigged about being in the parking lot and being hit by something during the time the power and cameras were out.

“How is Scott?” Liam asked. He was standing in the room next to Lindsey.

“Liam, what have I told you about walking into rooms when I’m with a patient?”

“It’s okay,” Lindsey said. “He’s showing moral support.”

Dr. Geyer looked at Lindsey, then sighed. “I can’t explain what happened to Scott. He was rushed in here by a friend who found him unresponsive. That boy was dead for forty-five minutes. We’re conducting tests to make sure there’s not going to be any damage to any of his organs, but he seems to be fine.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure Scott was already brain damaged,” Sean joked and Lindsey smiled.

Dr. Geyer chuckled. “You’re free to go, Sean. You’re lucky whatever hit you only cracked a couple ribs and didn’t completely break them, but I suggest not getting into any fights in the next few weeks.”

Sean chuckled. “I’ll try not to.” Dr. Geyer left the room and Liam turned to the two.

“I talked to Kira and they’re taking her mom to Palo Alto,” he said.

“Will she be okay?”

“My dad thinks she will. And Scott thinks the plan might have worked.”

“But nobody showed up except for the psycho jaguar,” Lindsey said.

“Wait,” Sean said. “We might not know who the Benefactor is, but we might know what he is.”

“What?”

“Think about it, you two. Who has the power to know when someone is dead, without actually seeing the body?” Lindsey and Liam looked at each other before the lightbulb went off in Lindsey’s head and she looked back at her brother.

“A Banshee. But we only know of two in Beacon Hills. One is dead, and I’m pretty sure Lydia didn’t actually make the dead pool.”

“Are we sure about that?”

Lindsey couldn’t definitively answer that question.

 

~~~

 

Devin dropped his keys in the bowl in the hall.

“Are you going to be okay?” Lilith asked as she shut the door behind them.

“I think so. Just sore from the fight.”

“What were you guys trying to do tonight?”

Devin sat on the couch and gave a sigh. “Something stupidly dangerous.”

“Well if it involved fighting berserkers, then you succeeded.”

Devin scoffed a small laugh. “That wasn’t part of the plan. We were using Scott as bait. We thought that maybe the Benefactor would come himself to confirm that the number one on the list was dead since Chris claimed to have killed him and was unable to get the visual confirmation.” Lilith sat next to Devin and he put a hand on her forearm.

“I’m going to assume that it didn’t work.”

“It didn’t work. The only one that showed up was their jaguar master.”

“Wait,” Lilith leaned away from him. “Did you just say jaguar?”

“Yeah. Kate was turned when she had her throat ripped out by an Alpha. She was here a few months ago working with Vincent. Isabel and the pack ran her off after Vincent’s death, but she came back and took Derek.”

“Why?”

“From what I understand on that confusing turn of events was she needed him to get into something that only the Hales had access to in order to steal something.”

“She was after the Eye, wasn’t she?” Devin just looked at her and Lilith raised her hands in surrender. “I’m not after it again. I swear. But the Eye in the hands of a witch will increase their power.”

“As you mentioned a few months ago.”

“What did she do to gain Derek’s trust?”

“Turned him back to a teenager, when he trusted and loved her.”

Lilith’s brows knit together. “Powerful magic,” Lilith’s expression suddenly changed. “Where did she take Derek to turn him back into a teenager?”

“Mexico. In an old Aztec temple under a church in a town that was destroyed by an earthquake.”

“La Iglesia,” the witch whispered. “The Temple of Smoking Mirror.”

“You know of it?”

“Devin, Kate isn’t just a jaguar. She’s a nagual.”

 

~~~

 

Parrish came to with a sore neck and a throbbing head. He wasn’t sure where he even was for a moment. Until he realized he couldn’t move his arms. He blinked several times, trying to clear his head before his foggy brain registered that his wrists were zip tied to the steering wheel of the sheriff’s cruiser and the smell of gasoline. Parrish looked around, trying to see who was holding him hostage. He pulled against the ties.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Parrish called. He could guess at this assassin’s intent, which meant he didn’t know what he was. “You do not want to do this.”

“Damn,” a man’s voice said. Parrish looked towards the passenger side to see a face he knew. “I was hoping you’d be out longer.”

"Haigh?” Parrish was genuinely surprised to see his fellow deputy. “What the hell are you doing?”

“You’re a good guy, Parrish. But the list says you’re worth five million.”

“How did you get the list? How did you know what the list was even for?”

“It was sent to me and that price on your head was just too much to ignore.”

“You have no idea what you’re doing.”

“I think I do.” Haigh then splashed the gasoline onto Parrish.

“Stop! Don’t do this!” Parrish spit gasoline that had found its way into his mouth as he spoke. “You don’t have to do this!” The smell of the gasoline filled his nostrils and he coughed, the fumes filling his nose and throat. “If you’re having money problems…”

“You’re worth five million dead, Parrish. Sounds like you got the problem.”

“So you’re just going to burn me to death?” Haigh put in a set of earbuds and reached into his pocket, pulling out a lighter. “Haigh, don’t do this!”

“It’s not personal.”

“Remember that when I come after you.”

Haigh laughed. “What are you going to do? Haunt me?” Parrish pulled on the zip ties again. “Nice knowing you, Parrish.” He flicked the lighter open, the flame dancing.

“Haigh, wait!” Haigh tossed the lighter into the car as he hit play on the iPod in his hand. “Don’t!”

The car and Parrish alighted.


	29. A Phoenix Rises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilith gives Derek, Isabel, and Braeden unwelcome information on Kate. The pack discovers a secret Parrish has been keeping

“A nagual?” Derek asked. “I thought that was another name for a werejaguar.” Devin and Lilith had come to the loft to tell Derek and Isabel the conclusion Lilith had come to.

“So did I,” Braeden, who was still at the loft when the two showed up, said.

“That’s a common belief, since most naguals are jaguars,” Lilith explained. “But they are shape-shifting witches. And very dangerous.”

“So Kate was able to do what she did to me because she can suddenly use magic?”

“The pack ran her off the last time she was here, right?”

“Yeah,” Isabel answered. “I convinced her to leave Beacon Hills before he brother was actually killed in the crossfire between her, the pack, and the Calaveras. Mainly, Scott wanted her gone so the Calaveras would leave town.”

“We’re assuming she went to Mexico,” Derek added.

“She must have found the Temple of Smoking Mirror hiding from the Calaveras.”

“The what?” Isabel asked.

“La Iglesia. The temple under the church where you found Derek is called the Temple of Smoking Mirror. Naguals draw their power from the obsidian there. Once Kate set foot there, it awakened her powers.”

“And she found a new way to get her revenge on the pack.”

“That’s why she wanted the Eye,” Devin added. “Lilith was after it to make her powers greater,” Lilith looked down, shame showing plan on her face at the mention of the stunt she’d pulled. “Kate wanted it for the same reason.”

“Would she had been able to use it?” Isabel asked. “With her being a were?”

“I… I’m not sure,” Lilith admitted, still not looking up.

“What are you guys talking about?” Breaden asked.

“Lilith and a Dark Valkyrie named Kenton were after a powerful Valkyrie artifact called the Eye of Odin. She wanted it to become more powerful. Kenton wanted it because he was a greedy asshole who couldn’t accept that the woman he was in love with chose another.”

“And he wanted the power that came with possessing the Eye,” Lilith added.

“So she tried to steal it and you’re friends now?” Braeden looked at Lilith. “How do you know she didn’t come back to steal it again?”

Lilith looked up. “I’m not here to steal it. I want to help.”

“And I’m not buying that.”

“I told her about the dead pool,” Devin said. “I’m the one that asked her to come.”

“Told you it was Devin,” Derek said. Isabel sighed and gave her boyfriend a look.

“Trust me, we’re going to need her —,” Devin gave a grunt and pressed his fingers to his forehead.

Lilith was immediately at his side. “Sit down.” She helped him into a sitting position on the floor.

“What’s going on?” Braeden asked.

“He has premonitions,” Derek said. “He has very little warning before it takes over.” Just as Derek finished speaking, Devin’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he went limp.

 

 

_Scott was leaned against the school lockers, Isaac, Malia, and Liam, lying next to him. He seemed to be struggling to stay awake and alert. A security guard was standing nearby with a gasoline canister in his hand._

_“What is that?” Scott asked._

_“It’s gasoline,” the guard said with a smirk. “Haigh says we gotta burn you.” He started pouring the gasoline on the teens._

_“Wait, stop!” The guard dropped the now empty bottle nearby and crouched down in front of Scott, flicking the lighter open, the flame dancing. In a last act of defiance, Scott blew out the flame. The guard took his baton and hit him in the head, knocking Scott out cold._

_“Sorry about this, kids, but you’re going to pay off all my debts.” He stood and tossed the lighter next to Scott, the gasoline instantly alighting._

 

 

Devin gave a gasp as he came to. “No, no, no, no, no,” he whispered.

“What did you see?” Isabel asked, a worried look on her face.

“The school at night. There… there were security guards, they had Scott, Isaac, Malia, and Liam. They… they set them on fire.”

“The school hasn’t had night security guards since the Darach sacrifices,” Derek said.

“They said a name. Haigh. He said that Haigh told them to burn the kids.”

“Crap.”

Isabel looked at Derek. “That name mean something to you?” she asked.

“He’s a deputy. He’s the one that tased me when Kate age regressed me and I kinda freaked out when I found my house a pile of rubble.”

“Kinda? You almost tore his arm off.”

“I was a scared fifteen-year-old.” Isabel smirked. “We gotta call Stilinski and tell him one of his deputies is planning on killing three kids.”

“And warn Parrish that he might be in his crosshairs.” The two immediately pulled out their phones as Derek’s started ringing.

“It’s Lydia,” he said as he answered.

 

~~~

 

Sean and Lindsey went with Stiles and Lydia to the sheriff’s office, where they explained their theory that the Benefactor was either a banshee or being helped by a banshee. Then Lydia told them about finding an urn full of Mountain Ash and another coded list left behind by her grandmother.

“I went to the lake house,” Lydia explained. “Thinking that maybe I could talk to Meredith. I think I may have pushed her over the edge.”

“She was an unstable young woman,” Stilinski said. “It’s not your fault she took her life.”

“But I feel like it’s my fault. I pushed trying to get the last name for the dead pool. But I think my grandmother might still be alive and faked her death to escape Eichen House.”

“Your grandmother, Lorraine Martin, faked her death?”

“Definitely,” Stiles said.

“Maybe,” Lydia corrected.

“I’m guessing you got a story to back that up?” Lydia nodded and Stilinski closed the door.

“I wanted to apologize to Meredith. I claimed her belongings and I found a picture of her that was taken in the last house. Mom followed me to the lake house and she told me Meredith’s story. Told me Grandma wanted me to spread her ashes on my 18th birthday. But when mom handed me the urn, it was full of Mountain Ash. The entire boathouse is made of Mountain Ash.”

“Wait, was your grandmother a banshee?” Lindsey asked.

“I think so. Mom also gave me the last thing she wrote before she died.” She pulled the handwritten code out of her purse and handed it to Stilinski.

“Where’s Jordan?” Sean asked. “Maybe he can help us figure this out.”

Stilinski nodded and stuck his head out the door, looking over at Parrish’s empty desk. “Anyone seen Parrish?” He looked over at Haigh. “Haigh?”

Haigh shook his head. “Haven’t seen him.”

Stilinski closed the door again.

“Maybe we should call him, see where he is.” Sean dialed his number and it went straight to voicemail. His brows knit together in concern.

“What?”

“It’s going straight to voicemail.”

“I don’t like that.”

 

~~~

 

Parrish was furious. He had considered Haigh to be a friend. He’d put up with so many jokes about his youthful appearance. He had no idea Haigh would do something like this. He tried to murder him in cold blood, an officer of the law, no less. Parrish used the dark to conceal himself, having had to walk several miles back to the sheriff’s station. While he wanted nothing more than to tear the man apart with his bare hands, he knew Scott wouldn’t approve of that. Haigh was forcing him to reveal his true nature. He’d thought it was best if the rest of the pack didn’t know about him, but now he was going to have to admit to being born into this world. Parrish could have just let everyone believe he was a victim of the dead pool, but he was too furious to do that. He wanted Haigh to pay for what he tried to do. He finally reached the sheriff’s station, glad that he always wore fireproof shorts and he wasn’t walking into the station giving everyone a show. He knew he looked a sight, covered in ash and wearing only the shorts since his clothes had burned away before the heat weakened the zip ties. He pushed open the door and walked towards the back.

“Parrish?” the deputy at the front desk asked in disbelief. “What happened?”

“Not now,” Parrish practically growled, his eyes focused on Haigh at his computer. He stopped for a moment, glaring at Haigh before he strode towards him. Haigh saw him and jumped up, reaching for his service piece. Parrish grabbed the hand he was holding the gun and slammed him against the wall. The gun went off as they struggled.

“You’re dead!”

“I told you I would come after you!” Parrish slammed Haigh to the ground just as Stilinski opened the door.

“Hey!” Stilinski called.

“Get down!” Sean said to the teens. Haigh tried to raise his gun and Parrish slugged him. The gun went off again and Lindsey screamed. Sean gave a cry and hit the floor, holding his arm.

“Sean!”

“Stay where you are!” Parrish was pounding on Haigh and Stilinski rushed out to pull Parrish off the deputy.

“What the hell is going on here?”

“He tried to kill me!”

“You’re dead!” Haigh said in disbelief. “You’re dead.”

“Do I look like a freaking ghost to you?” Two deputies rushed in and Stilinski turned his head at the beep that came from Haigh’s computer, a message in bold type on the screen.

 

**KILL NOT CONFIRMED**

 

It was all Stilinski needed. “Arrest this sorry sack of crap.” He pulled Parrish into his office and saw Sean on the floor holding his arm, Lindsey next to him. “And call a paramedic.”

 

 

Parrish cleaned himself up before heading to the hospital to check on Sean. The bullet went cleanly through Sean’s arm and Melissa stitched him up.

“I’m sorry, Sean,” Parrish said. “I…”

“You’re not the one that shot me,” Sean answered. “What happened?”

“Well, the official report was he set a car on fire with me tied in it. I wasn’t sure how I got out but I had to ditch my clothes because they were on fire.”

“And the truth?” Melissa asked.

“He set the car on fire with me zip tied to the steering wheel.”

“Jordan,” Sean looked at Parrish. “They deserve to know the truth. Or do I need to be the one to tell them you’re a Charmander?”

“Again with the Pokémon?” Sean smirked.

“Wait,” Lydia said. “You knew why you were on the dead pool?”

“And you knew what he was?” Lindsey asked her brother.

“I knew he was a supernatural with fire abilities. I just don’t know what he is. Those abilities saved my life when Kenton tried to kill me.” He looked at Parrish. “You’re going to have to tell them.”

“I know, but I’d rather tell Scott in person than let him hear it from one of the Valkyries.”

 

~~~

 

 _“Did you just say that Parrish survived getting set on fire?”_ Chris asked, disbelief in his voice.

“Now that I’ve said that out loud, I sound like a raving lunatic,” Stilinski responded. “How can anyone survive being set on fire?”

_“Parrish is on the dead pool. Maybe he’s some sort of fire-based supernatural.”_

“Like what? A phoenix?”

_“I won’t rule it out. Was there any kind of blemish on him that you could tell he was set on fire?”_

“He was covered in ash and he was practically naked. The only thing he was wearing was shorts.”

_“Why would his shorts still be intact when the rest of his clothes were gone?”_

“You don’t think he kept us in the dark on purpose, do you?”

_“Why?”_

“I mean, those had to be fireproof shorts to still be intact. He had to have known.”

_“But why not tell us, knowing the truth about Beacon Hills. Did he not think we would understand?”_

“Chris, I don’t think he had the nightshade bullets the night Kenton attacked him and Sean. I think Parrish used his abilities against him.”

_“Which would have meant that Sean knew.”_

“Along with Isabel and Devin.”

_“They probably assumed we knew already. We need to find out if Haigh is a professional assassin.”_

“And if he’s not, we need to find out how he got a hold of the dead pool and knew what it was.”

 

~~~

 

Isabel opened the door for Parrish and he nodded a greeting. Stiles had told the others what had happened at the sheriff’s station. Now he, Scott, and Lydia were waiting at Derek’s loft. Parrish walked in followed by Sean and Lindsey.

“You doing okay, Sean?” Stiles asked.

“Luckily, it was only a graze. Had to have stitches though.”

“You got lucky,” Isabel commented.

Derek looked Parrish over. “Stiles says you were set on fire?”

“Was heading to work and got ambushed. Woke up zip tied to a steering wheel and being covered in gasoline by someone I thought was my friend.”

“But he set you on fire? How are you alive?”

“Wait,” Isabel said. “You guys didn’t know?”

“Know what?”

Parrish held his hand up. “I’d rather be the one to tell them.” Isabel nodded and Scott looked at her.

“You’ve known all this time?”

“Of course I have. I just didn’t realize you guys didn’t.”

“I kept you in the dark about my own connection to the supernatural because I know our reputation,” Parrish said. “I just thought it was best if you didn’t know, so I pretended not to know anything about the supernatural.”

“Even when you showed up on the dead pool?” Stiles asked. “When me and Lydia asked you about it?” Parrish sighed and Sean put a hand on his shoulder.

“I know I should have told you then, but I was so used to hiding it and I still didn’t know if you would trust me. We have a dark reputation because of our abilities with fire and we’re connected with so many negative things like the Wild Hunt.”

“So that’s why you kept us in the dark?” Lindsey asked. “You were afraid we’d judge you because of your kind’s reputation? Werewolves don’t have that great of a reputation and we still run with them.”

“Hey!” Scott feigned offense with a smirk before turning to Parrish. “What exactly are you? A phoenix?”

“I’m still voting for Charmander.”

“Will you stop with the Pokémon jokes?” Sean grinned and Stiles and Scott snickered. Parrish looked at Isabel and she nodded. “I’m a hellhound.”


	30. Ariel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parrish comes clean. The teens discover how the dead pool is being distributed. Stiles and Lydia try to decode her grandmother's message.

“So what exactly is a hellhound?” Lindsey asked.

“Depends on what legend you want to believe,” Parrish explained. “Most call us omens of death. Some say we drag souls to hell. We’re most famous as being the hounds of the Wild Hunt and guardians of holy ground.”

“And the truth?” Derek asked.

“We’re protectors of the supernatural. We protect the innocent from the knowledge if we can,” Parrish looked over at Sean. “We also protect the innocent from the worst of the supernaturals.”

“Like you did with Kenton,” Sean said. “When he tried to kill me. Again.”

Parrish nodded.

“You didn’t use nightshade on him?” Stiles asked.

“No, I lit his ass on fire and threw him out my front door.” Lindsey snickered. Parrish changed his eyes from green to glowing orange. “I learned how to control it a long time ago.” His eyes went back to normal. “I chose to be on the bomb disposal unit in the army because I knew I would never get hurt doing it. Although it still hurts like hell when an IED explodes on you.”

“I bet,” Scott remarked.

Parrish’s eyebrows knit together. “I’ve been looking out for professional assassins, but I think the amateurs are starting to come out of the woodwork.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Haigh wasn’t a professional.” Derek and Isabel exchanged glances, recognizing the name from Devin’s vision. “I don’t think he’d tried anything like this before. I think he was taking a chance.”

“That means anyone with the dead pool can take a chance,” Derek said.

“Is there a chance that Haigh had partners?” Isabel asked.

“What do you mean?” Parrish asked.

“People that worked with him?”

“I really don’t know. And if I see him again, I’m going to do more than beat the crap out of him.”

“Yeah, let’s not do that,” Scott said.

 

~~~

 

Liam’s printer suddenly came to life, startling him from his sleep. He rubbed the sleep from his eye, looking around the room bleary-eyed. He caught sight of the papers coming out of the printer and went over to it, trying to shut it off. When it wouldn’t shut off, he crawled under the desk and found the cord, unplugging it. The printer finally stopped and he started gathering up the papers. He paused, seeing that an updated version of the dead pool had printed off. He picked up three of the sheets and stuffed them in his bag. He needed to show the others this.

 

~~~

 

“Your grandmother was a banshee, too?” Parrish asked after Lydia relayed the story of how her grandmother had predicted her girlfriend’s death during a freak thunderstorm on the lake outside the Martins' lake house.

Lydia nodded. “It took decades to figure out how Lorraine knew. She started with parapsychologists. They built the study in the lake house according to every pseudoscientific theory they could find. None of it worked.”

“Not really surprising,” Sean commented. “Since, it’s supernatural not science.”

“She thought the same thing, so she turned to the occult. Mediums and psychics. All of them were failures until they found Meredith at Eichen House. This fragile girl who didn’t understand the things she heard. They brought her to the study and they nearly killed her. She was hospitalized for over a year. But she never really recovered. My grandmother drove her insane. And I drove her to suicide. All she ever wanted to do was help.” Lydia pulled the paper from her grandmother out of her purse and set it on the table. “My grandmother created the code for the dead pool.”

“We think she’s the Banshee who put the names out in the first place,” Stiles said. Scott picked up the paper with the code written on it.

“She left me this message in the same code.”

“But she didn’t leave a cipher key, did she?” Scott asked.

“That would have been too easy,” Isabel muttered.

“We need to figure out the key,” Parrish said. “And I need to head back to the station and come clean to my boss. And probably tell Chris before he dives into his bestiary thinking I’m clueless to what I am.”

“I’ll go with you to see Chris,” Sean said. Everyone but Isabel, Derek, and Scott left.

“I’m sorry,” Isabel said. “I really did think you guys knew that Jordan was a hellhound.”

“We should have suspected when he didn’t seem too surprised about finding out about us,” Derek said. He glanced over at Scott as he picked up something off the bed and studied it. Derek approached his Alpha. “Be careful with that.”

Scott looked at Derek. “I thought you didn’t like guns,” Scott said and Isabel realized he’d found the handgun Braeden gave Derek. Derek took the gun away from Scott. “Does this have something to do with your eyes?”

Derek sighed.

“I know you can smell it, Scott,” Isabel said.

“My eyes, my strength, the healing. All of it.”

“It’s gone?”

“I’m not a wolf anymore. Whatever Kate did to me, it’s taken everything.”

“If the dead pool really was made by a Banshee, then there’s something else you should know about.”

Isabel knew exactly what he was about to tell Derek. “Scott.”

“He needs to know, Isabel.”

“Know what?” Derek asked, confused. Scott looked over at Isabel, hearing the hiccup in her heartbeat.

“The cipher key that broke the last third of the list,” Isabel looked at Derek. “It was your name.”

Derek put a hand on her cheek. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You had enough to worry about with your powers and Kate.”

“Is that why you didn’t want me at the hospital?” Isabel nodded.

“It kinda feels like there might be a pattern. Allison, Aiden,” Scott hesitated. “You.”

“Names picked by a Banshee.”

“It could mean you’re in danger.”

“Danger?” Isabel asked. “Banshees don’t predict danger.”

“They predict death,” Derek finished. He then sighed and looked over at Isabel, who looked like she was fighting tears. This whole ordeal had been hell on her. Derek wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he was afraid. Afraid of what his death would do to Isabel. He pulled Isabel to him and she hugged him tightly. Scott nodded, taking his cue to leave the two alone.

 

~~~

 

Lindsey was at her locker, grabbing the binders for her morning classes.

“Lindsey?” She turned at Liam’s voice. He looked slightly freaked out. “We need to talk.”

“What’s wrong?” Lindsey closed her locker, placing the lock on before turning towards him.

“There’s something you need to see, but not around everyone else.”

“Liam, this better not be what I think it is.”

“It’s about the list.”

“Okay, definitely not what I thought it was.”

“What did you think I was going to show you?”

“Uh, nothing.” She grabbed his hand and led him down the hall, intent on the library.

“Liam!” They both stopped at Mason’s voice. Mason immediately noticed the hand holding. “When did this happen and why didn’t you tell me?”

“What?” Liam asked confused. Mason smirked and motioned at their hands. “Oh, we’re not… We were just…”

“Friends hold hands, Mason,” Lindsey said.

“Sure,” he looked at Liam. “Am I going to see you at the bonfire tonight?”

“Uh… I’m thinking about skipping it.”

“That’s tonight?” Lindsey asked.

“Yeah. And no you’re not.”

“Why not?” Liam asked.

“Because you’re on the lacrosse team. Don’t you have to go?”

“He has a point,” Lindsey said.

“I don’t… I don’t think I can make it.”

“You’re coming. You’re going to take your girlfriend,” Lindsey smirked. “And we’re going to find me a lacrosse player.” Lindsey laughed. “Because statistically speaking, someone on your team has gotta be on my team.”

“I can always introduce you to Danny,” Lindsey quipped. “He plays on your team.” She looked at Liam. “What are the odds we both have gay best friends?” Liam smiled. “Besides, the bonfire would be a good first date.”

Liam looked at her. “Really?”

Lindsey smiled. “Really.”

“Okay. I’ll go then.” Mason laughed and walked off. “You weren’t just saying that to make him go away, were you?”

“No. I told you we’d have a real date that didn’t involve me tricking you and you trying to kill someone.” Lindsey walked down the hall as the bell rang.

“That’s not funny!”

 

~~~

 

Lydia and Stiles sat in front of her computer trying to figure out the cipher key for the list Lorraine left for Lydia. So far they’d made several tries, all wrong. Stiles drummed his fingers on the desk.

“Oh, my God!” Lydia finally said. Stiles’ head popped up, reminding Lydia for a moment of a meerkat popping out of its den. “Will you stop that!”

“Don’t say ‘Oh, my God!’ like that. I thought you figured it out.”

“Not yet.”

Stiles looked at the code on the screen. “The ashes were left for you. The code was left for you. You’re supposed to be able to figure this out.”

“But no one else is. Which is why she made it hard.” The printer beeped for the hundredth time.

“Oh, my God!” Stiles stood up and put paper in the printer. “Happy now, you stupid machine?” Lydia hid a smile at Stiles talking to the printer. “You…,” Stiles trailed off. “No one else,” Lydia looked up at him. “No one else but you.”

“I just said that, Stiles.”

“Our guesses. They’re all about Lorraine.”

“Right.”

“We keep trying to guess a word that has something to do with her. So, maybe we should be trying to guess one that’s about you.”

“Me?”

“What do you remember doing with your grandmother? You know, what was you guys’ special thing? Did you go to the beach? Did you like ice cream?”

“We read,” Lydia simply said.

“Okay, what did you read?”

“The Little Mermaid,” she answered slowly, a bit embarrassed to admit she was in love with it as a child.

“You read that movie?”

“It was a book first. Hans Christian Andersen.”

“Type it in. Little Mermaid.” Lydia typed LITTLEMERMAID. When that didn’t work, Lydia tried MERMAID. She sighed when that didn’t work either.

“We read it every night,” Lydia reminisced. “I got so obsessed with it, for three months I wouldn’t respond to anything but Ariel. It drove my parents crazy, but…” She trailed off and looked back at the screen. “Grandma thought it was adorable.” Lydia typed in ARIEL. The code rearranged itself into a readable format.

 

_Tamra Johansen_

_Alice Duffy_

_Paula Brasch_

_Trey Lockhart_

_Josh Morris_

_Elisa Chin_

_Peter McElroy_

_Taylor Freeman_

_Terrance Shuman_

_Lorraine Martin_

 

“Know anyone?” Stiles asked.

“Just Grandma. We should show this to Parrish and see if he can find out anything about these other people. See if this isn’t just another dead pool.”


	31. A New Dead Pool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam, Lindsey, and Scott find an updated version of the dead pool, Stiles and Lydia try to make sense of her grandmother's message, the teens attend a bonfire.

Lindsey hadn’t seen Liam since before school. She ran into Scott while looking for him during her free period.

“Oh, sorry, Lindsey,” Scott apologized.

Lindsey smiled. “I wasn’t looking at where I was going. I was looking for Liam. He said he had something that he needed to show me about the dead pool.”

“I think I might know where he is.” Scott and Lindsey headed towards the locker rooms and found Liam on the stairs.

“Liam?” Lindsey asked and he jumped. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” She sat down next to him as Scott sat down on the step behind them.

“I’m glad you’re both here. There’s something you need to see.” He pulled folded papers from his back pocket. “Last night my printer went off by itself. I couldn’t turn it off. I hit the cancel button probably a hundred times but it kept printing. I finally had to unplug it.” He held out the folded papers. “This is what printed off.”

Lindsey took the papers and unfolded them, Scott looking over her shoulder.

 

_~~Sean Walcott 250~~ _

~~_David Walcott 250_ ~~

~~_Michael Walcott 250_ ~~

~~_Christina Walcott 250_ ~~

_Lydia Martin 20_

_Scott McCall 25_

~~_Demarco Montana 250_ ~~

 

_Isabel Evans 17_

~~_Carrie Hudson 500_ ~~

_Kayleen Bettcher 250_

_Kira Yukimura 6_

_Elias Town 250_

_Lindsey Chasseur 21_

 

“It’s an updated version of the dead pool,” Lindsey noted. “All the people that have been killed are crossed out.”

 

_Kate Argent 12_

_Noshiko Yukimura 5_

_Joanne McLaughlin 1_

~~_Steve Grace 1_ ~~

_Tom Hill 1_

_Brett Talbot 1_

_Isaac Lahey 1_

~~_Reed Schall 250_ ~~

~~_Richard Benefield 250_ ~~

~~_Jack Marsland 250_ ~~

~~_Joy Waldrop 250_ ~~

~~_Cheryl Calix 250_ ~~

_Jordan Parrish 5_

 

“What the hell is this?!” Coach suddenly screamed from down the hall before they could read the last part of the list. The three teens looked at each other before running down the hall. Coach’s printer seemed to have become possessed and was spitting out printed sheets. Scott reached in and grabbed one before they retreated.

 

_Satomi Ito 10_

_Malia Hale 4_

_Liam Dunbar 12_

_Lilith White 6_

~~_Meredith Walker 1_ ~~

_Devin Greene 7_

_Liz Moore 1_

~~_Patrick Clark 1_ ~~

_Daniel Evans 10_

_Bree Leverett 250_

_Kaitlyn Schaar 250_

_Genevive Cary 250_

_Angelique Fain 250_

_Lorilee Rohr 250_

Brittnai _Kegley 250_

 

“See the difference?” Liam asked.

“Derek’s not on the list anymore,” Scott noticed.

“Why?” Lindsey asked.

“Whatever Kate did to him, completely stole his powers.”

“Are you saying he’s human now?”

“He’s human.”

“Lilith’s on the list now.”

“And I’m not worth three million anymore,” Liam said. “It’s twelve now. And I don’t know why I’m suddenly worth so much.”

“If Derek was taken off and Lilith added, why didn’t she get his worth?”

“I don’t know,” Scott said.

“Is it because I’m your beta?”

Scott looked at Liam. “What?”

“Do you think it’s because I was bit by a True Alpha?”

“That’s really not a bad theory,” Lindsey said. “And we now know how Haigh got the dead pool.”

“So who else is going to come after us?” Liam asked.

“I don’t know,” Scott said. “I really don’t know.”

 

~~~

 

Parrish looked up the names Stiles and Lydia gave him.

“Well, it’s not another dead pool,” Parrish said. “More like an already dead pool.”

“What do you mean?” Stiles asked.

“What I just said. They’re all dead within the last ten years. All suicides and all at Eichen House.”

“We have to look at the files.”

“Come again?” Parrish said.

“Lydia, Eichen House isn’t a library. You need a warrant to get files from there.”

Parrish pointed at Stiles. “He has a point. You can’t just walk in there and ask to see the files.”

“Walk in where?” All three turned to see Sean.

“My grandmother left me a list of ten suicides, including her own. There’s got to be a reason why. Is there anyone there who’s willing to help?”

“I’m going to take this as my cue to leave before I have to arrest you for considering this,” Parrish said. “Besides your dad’s back with Chris and he doesn’t look very happy with me right now.” Lydia, Stiles, and Sean all looked towards the Sheriff’s office, who was looking at Parrish and beckoning him into his office, Chris behind him. “I think I need to explain a few things to them now.”

“Ya think?” Sean quipped.

“Bite me, Chasseur.”

“Naw, hellhound is a little too crispy for my taste.” Stiles snorted a laugh as Parrish gave him a dirty look. Sean waited until Parrish was in the office with the door closed before he turned to the teens. “To answer your question, I’ve heard the Brunski can be bribed to do anything.”

 

~~~

 

Lindsey arrived at the bonfire with Liam and Mason. She knew Scott, Malia, Isaac, and Danny were around here somewhere. Kira was still in Palo Alto with her mother. Lindsey could smell the alcohol in the air and she groaned. The cyclone in the middle of the courtyard alighted and the DJ started to play music. The partygoers started whooping and dancing. Danny and Isaac weaved through the crowd, Isaac looking like he wanted to be anywhere else. Lindsey waved at them and they headed towards them.

“I hate crowds,” Isaac said.

“I hate these bonfires,” Danny agreed. “The former players always bring alcohol.” The two were in their jerseys. Scott started heading towards them with Malia, who was dancing around like she was drunk. Lindsey thought it was comical. Scott was looking around like he was assessing threats.

Isaac walked over to him. “Expecting a threat?” he asked.

“Until we find out who the Benefactor is, I’m always expecting a threat.” Isaac took a drink out of a flask. “Where did you get that?”

“Found it in my dad’s stuff. Got the vodka from one of the alumni.” Malia took the flask and drank. She made a face before giving it back, causing Isaac to laugh.

“Kinda burns going down,” she commented.

“Yeah, it does.”

“You two do know that we can’t get drunk,” Scott said.

“We can’t?” Malia asked.

“It’s our healing. You’re not going to feel anything. Trust me, I’ve tried. Stiles was hammered, but I was completely sober.”

“Damn,” Isaac said.

“Somebody better tell that to Liam,” Malia said, pointing over at him. Mason was pouring alcohol into a soda bottle and handing it to Liam. Liam chugged it.

“Don’t drink it so fast,” Lindsey said.

“Let him get drunk,” Mason said. “I mean stumbling down, fall on your ass, passed out with your face in a toilet drunk.”

“Why?” Liam asked.

“Maybe then when I ask you what’s going on with you, you’ll be too drunk to lie.” Liam just looked at his best friend. Lindsey and Danny exchanged glances. “I’m not asking this because I want to know. I’m asking because I want to help.”

Danny sat next to Mason. “I don’t think getting your best friend drunk is going to help anyone. Except maybe Lindsey.” He gave Lindsey a wink.

“Shut up, Danny.”

 

~~~

 

“What’s wrong?” Devin asked. Lilith seemed restless.

“I just have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach,” she said. “I… I just can’t explain it. It feels like death is blanketing the town.”

“Death _is_ blanketing the town.” Lilith walked over to the window and looked over the lights of the city. It was a beautiful sight. “Lilith, can I ask you something?”

She turned to him. “What?” she asked, hesitantly.

“When we talked on the phone, you sounded like you didn’t want to come back to Beacon Hills.”

“I didn’t,” She turned back to the window. “It’s what I did to the pack. I knew it would have been best if I never came back. I can barely look at Derek and Lindsey, remembering what I almost did. I almost killed what they cared about the most. I tried to kill almost every member of the pack at one point.”

“Maybe it’s time for you to let that go.”

Lilith turned and looked at him. “I can’t just let that go. How many people died because of me?”

“But holding in like that is going to do more harm than good. You saw what your anger at Peter did to you. If you hold onto the guilt, it will consume you until you’re nothing but a husk of the person you once were.”

Lilith knew he was right. “I… I don’t know how to let it go.”

Devin put his hands on her shoulders. “You need to forgive yourself first.”

Lilith reached up and placed her hands over his. “Is that what you did?”

“If I held onto that one death, I wouldn’t have been any better than Vincent or Kenton. The dark path would have consumed me and I wouldn’t be able to call myself a Pure again.”

Lilith squeezed his hands before she let go and turned to him. “You have a gift, Devin. You seem to always know just the right words to say to help someone when they need it the most.”

Devin smiled. “I try. I don’t think it works every time.”

Lilith chuckled as her eye caught one of the headlines on the untouched paper sitting on the coffee table. She picked it up, an article about the annual lacrosse bonfire catching her eye. “Devin.” She showed him the article and Devin’s face seemed to pale. He grabbed his phone and dialed the first number on his recent calls.

“We need to get to the school,” he told Isabel when she answered. “They’re going to use the bonfire as a cover to kill them.”

Lilith tossed Devin’s keys to him. “We need to hurry.”


	32. Bonfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia, Stiles, and Sean head to Eichen House. Scott and Lindsey notice something wrong at the bonfire.

“You didn’t have to come with us,” Lydia said.

“I don’t trust the guy,” Sean simply stated. “He doesn’t have that great of a reputation. The man makes a snake seem friendly.”

“That’s an accurate description,” Stiles quipped.

“You should know,” Lydia returned the quip.

“Yeah, let’s just rub it in that I chose to check myself in here.”

“Nogitsune?” Sean asked.

“Yep.” They found Brunski’s office. He was sitting at his desk, a stereo behind him playing.

“Oh look. It’s my favorite teenagers,” Brunski said. “And looks like you brought a friend this time,” He motioned to Sean. “This your chaperon today? Where’s the deputy?”

“We just need information,” Sean said.

“Depends on the information you need.”

“We need to see files of deceased patients,” Lydia said. “We heard you’ll let us see them for the right price.”

Brunski leaned back, a sly smile on his face. “A thousand,” he said.

“A thousand dollars?” Stiles asked. “To use one little key to open up one little file room? Are you out of your mind?”

“Stiles,” Sean warned.

“When you get the keys, you make the price.”

“Right. You actually think we have that kind of money?”

“I know _you_ don’t. If you did, Daddy Sheriff would’ve paid the bill by now,” Sean had no idea Stilinski was struggling. He was impressed by the sheriff’s ability to keep his personal life separate from his professional life. Brunski looked at him and Lydia. “That’s why I’m talking to them.”

Sean sighed, before pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. Lydia dug into her purse and brought her own wallet out. Between the two of them, they offered Brunski the money he wanted. They threw it on the desk and Brunski turned and popped a tape out of the stereo. All three recognized it as the same kind of tape that had been found on the Chemist’s body, the one that had tried to kill the teens with weaponized distemper. Music started playing and Brunski turned back around and picked up the money before smelling it and giving them a smile. He picked up his keys and motioned for them to follow him. Brunski unlocked the door and the three went into the room. Sean made a quick survey of the room, noting all the file cabinets that reminded him of a card catalog.

“You good?” Brunski asked.

“Yeah, we can help ourselves,” Stiles said. “Lydia, you got the list?” Lydia nodded and reached into her purse for it. She handed it to Stiles and he unfolded it as Brunski shut the door. Stiles suddenly froze. “Why did you write more names on here?”

“I didn’t write anything,” Lydia said. She and Sean walked over to Stiles.

“It’s your handwriting.”

“Why would I write another name?”

“Why would you write ours?” On the bottom of the list was Stiles and Sean’s names. Sean immediately knew why and spun around towards Brunski. Before he could react, the nurse pressed a taser to the former Procurer’s neck and he went down.

“Sean!” Lydia cried.

“It was the tapes, wasn’t it?” Brunski said before using the taser on Stiles. Lydia screamed, knowing she was trapped as Brunski was blocking the only way out. “Your turn, sweetheart.” Lydia took a deep breath to use her scream as a weapon, but before a single note could expel from her throat, the taser was against her neck and the scream died on her lips as she collapsed.

 

~~~

 

Mason continued to give Liam alcohol and Isaac and Malia kept sharing the flask and dancing. Scott shook his head, amused at the two. Until Malia stumbled and Isaac caught her, both laughing like they were drunk. Isaac almost fell and Scott caught them both.

“Wait, a minute…,” Scott said. Malia was giggling and Isaac was having a hard time with his footing. “Are you guys actually drunk?”

“Yep,” Malia giggled. He glanced over at Liam. Lindsey was trying to steady Liam as he was stumbling, a concerned look on her face. “Is this what drunk feels like?” Scott’s attention went back to Malia. “It doesn’t feel as good as I hoped.”

Danny saw Isaac stumbling and went over to him to steady him. “I thought wolves couldn’t get drunk,” Danny said.

“They shouldn’t be drunk.” They led the two over to the table that Mason was at as Lindsey finally managed to sit Liam down. “Danny, can you grab some bottled water for them?” Danny nodded and went to grab a few bottles. He returned a few minutes later and the water was given to the two wolves and the coyote. Scott looked at Mason as Liam swayed. “How much has he had to drink?”

“Not enough to get him like this.”

“Something’s happening. We need to get them out of here.”

“I’m going to second this,” Lindsey said. “They shouldn’t be this drunk.”

“We’re going to have to, um…,” Scott stumbled slightly. “Whoa.” Lindsey frowned.

“How much have _you_ had?” Mason asked.

“Not a drop.”

“He hasn’t drunk anything,” Danny confirmed.

Scott looked over the crowd until his eyes landed on the DJ booth. “It’s not the drinks,” Scott said. “It’s the music.”

“How do you know?” Lindsey asked.

“I can hear it. I have to…,” He shook his head. “I have to turn off the music.”

“How are you planning on doing that? If it’s affecting you, you won’t be able to get close.”

“Don’t let them out of your sight.” Scott turned and headed towards the DJ booth.

“Scott!”

“I’m going with him,” Danny said, following him. Scott was intent on the DJ booth. The DJ saw him coming and gave him a smirk. A moment later, Scott collapsed. Danny was at his side almost immediately. “Get up, Scott!” He helped the Alpha to his feet. A moment later, two security guards pushed Danny out of the way and grabbed Scott. “No! Wait!”

“Stay out of the way, kid.”

“Where are you taking him?”

“Away from the crowd so he can sober up.”

“He hasn’t drank anything.”

“Nice try, kid. Now back up.” Danny didn’t move. “I said back up.” The guard pushed Danny away and he stumbled into a classmate, knocking the drink out of his hand.

“Dude, you okay?”

Danny nodded, losing sight of Scott in the crowd.

 

Meanwhile, Lindsey and Mason were trying to keep Malia, Liam, and Isaac upright. Three security guards walked up and started to grab the three.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Mason asked. “These are my friends.”

“Your friends are overly intoxicated. They need to be escorted out.”

“We were just about to leave with them,” Lindsey said, standing next to Mason.

“You two are fine to stay. They need to leave.”

“I drove them here. I’ll go with them.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Warning bells went off in Lindsey’s head.

“I said we’re leaving with them.” The guard shoved Lindsey hard and she fell into Mason. The momentum and force caused Mason to lose their balance and they both fell. A couple of lacrosse players ran over to them.

“You guys okay?” one asked as they helped them to their feet.

“We’re fine,” Lindsey said. Mason nodded his agreement. But in the time they were on the ground they lost sight of their friends.

 

~~~

 

Stilinski wasn’t pleased that Parrish hadn’t told him the truth about him from the beginning, but once the deputy explained the reasoning and what he was, the sheriff understood. Parrish went back to looking over the files of the people on the list Lydia had brought him. They were all ages, all races, and all in Eichen House for different reasons. The only thing that connected them were they died by their own hand. Parrish sighed and was about to give up on figuring out any connections. Until he noticed who found the bodies and delivered them to the morgue. L. Brunski. Parrish suddenly had a very bad feeling that he needed to go to Eichen House.

 

~~~

 

Isabel was speeding towards the high school as Derek’s phone rang.

_“Derek, it’s Braeden. You need to head to the school now.”_

“We’re heading there now. What did you find out from Haigh?”

_“He and six others teamed up when they found the dead pool in their printers. Haigh went after Parrish and the others are at the bonfire at the high school. One’s DJing and the others are working security. He told me that they’d be able to subdue the wolves with some high-frequency thing that only they would hear and would give them the appearance of being drunk. I’m heading that way myself.”_

“Alright. Lilith and Devin are heading to the school as well. Thanks, Braeden.”

“What did she find out?” Isabel asked when he hung up.

“Amateur assassins working with Haigh are using the bonfire as cover to kill the teens, just like Devin said. She said they’re using some sort of high-frequency device that will affect anyone with heightened hearing.”

“I didn’t think I would ever say this, but I’m glad you’re human right now so we can kick their collective asses together.”

“Yeah, me too.”


	33. Eichen House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles, Lydia, and Sean have a brush with death. Lindsey and Mason find a way to save their friends. The Benefactor is revealed.

Sean groaned as he came to. He was restrained with the leather restraints used in Eichen to restrain unruly patients. His back was to the post that was in the middle of the room, Stiles and Lydia on either side of him.

“Help us!” Lydia was screaming. “Help us! Someone help!”

“Lydia, there’s a lot of people screaming for help in a place like this,” Stiles said.

“Have a better idea?” Sean asked.

“If you didn’t notice,” Lydia said. “Those suicides were murders.”

“That’s why she left you the message,” Stiles said. “She predicted her own death. She knew I’d figure it out.” While the teens spoke, Sean was trying to reach the buckles on the restraints.

“Once you were able to predict your own,” Brunski said. He shut the door behind him. “But they weren’t murders.”

“You and I have a different definition of murder, then,” Sean said.

“I’m not some serial killer like Ted Bundy going around cutting up college girls.” He crouched down in front of Lydia.

“No, you’re just an Angel of Death,” Stiles said.

Brunski moved next to him. “I don’t think you understand my level of commitment to my work here, Stiles. There are people here who don’t simply need treatment. They need release.”

“Still sounds like murder to me,” Sean said.

Brunski moved around to Sean. “You should know. How many people have you killed? Or had a part of in their deaths?”

“I don’t kill in cold blood or if I think someone needs to die. I kill in self-defense.”

Brunski snorted. “If that’s what helps you sleep at night. I helped these people. I helped Lorraine.”

“You killed her,” Lydia whispered.

Brunski’s attention went back to Lydia. “I helped her.” He moved back to Lydia. “And now you can help me. Because there is something about it that’s always bothered me.” He held a tape in Lydia’s face. Sean looked over his shoulder and saw the name of Lydia’s grandmother on it.

“You taped them as they died?” Sean asked as Brunski grabbed the stereo he’d brought into the room. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“You don’t have the right to judge me, Procurer.” Sean blinked. How had he known about that? “Oh, yes, I know a lot more than you think I do.” He pressed play on the tape and they heard footsteps and a door.

 _“What are you…,_ ” Lorraine’s voice came out of the speakers. “ _Brunski, what are you doing?_ ”

“ _Don’t worry, Lorraine,_ ” Brunski’s voice said. “ _It’s going to be alright. You’re just going to have a little trouble breathing.”_

Sean leaned as close to Lydia as he could. “Don’t listen, Lydia,” he said. “Listen to my voice, Lydia. Listen to me.”

“Turn it off!” Stiles screamed as Sean tried to keep Lydia’s attention. Brunski punched Stiles and Lydia gave a gasp.

“Lydia, look at me.” Lydia turned her head towards Sean, tears streaming down her face. “Just focus on me, okay. Just focus on my voice.” Sean received a punch from Brunski next.

“Stop!” Lydia cried.

Brunski grabbed her by the jaw. “Then listen. Just listen. I need your help with this Lydia.”

_“Please don’t…”_

“Here it is. This is the part I never understood.”

_“Please don’t hurt her.”_

_“Hurt who?”_

_“Ariel.”_ Lorriane struggled to breathe before she stopped. The tape clicked to a stop. Lydia didn’t say a word.

Brunski turned and walked over to the shelves. “We get a lot of teenagers trying to break into our drug cabinets. Sometimes we even get a few adults. Most of the time they don’t succeed.” Brunski crouched down with a first aid kit and opened it. “But you three look pretty clever to me.”

“Let them go, Brunski,” Sean said. “You don’t need to do this to a couple of kids.”

“And let this one go running to Daddy Sheriff and tell him the truth.” Brunski pulled out a vial and stuck a needle in it, drawing out the contents into the syringe.

“You don’t think someone will come across your souvenirs and not put two and two together? You’re the idiot that taped the murders you committed.”

“They weren’t murders!” Brunski screamed. “I was helping them!”

“If that’s what helps you sleep at night.” Brunski all but growled as he stood, making a beeline to Sean and sticking the needle into his neck.

 

~~~

 

“What do we do?” Mason asked.

Danny found them in the crowd. “They took Scott. He couldn’t get anywhere near the DJ.”

“We gotta stop the music,” Lindsey said. “Give them a chance to defend themselves.”

“The generator,” Mason said. “We have to disconnect the power from the generator.”

“Then let’s do it,” she turned to Danny. “Danny, keep security from seeing us.” Danny nodded, knowing he couldn’t stop her. She led the two through the crowd.

“There!” Mason pointed. A few feet from the stage was the generator powering the DJ booth.

“Come on!” Lindsey and Mason headed towards the generator while Danny kept watch. Lindsey grabbed the largest cable. “Help me pull!” Mason grabbed the cable and together they pulled. Lindsey looked up and saw the look of horror on the DJ’s face. She smirked at him as the cable came out. The crowd started booing and the two teenagers moved into the crowd, joining Danny.

“I think we broke it,” Mason said. Lindsey giggled.

“We need to find the others.”

 

 

Scott was dragged into the school, Malia, Liam, and Isaac, lying next to the lockers. He was thrown onto the floor next to them. Scott leaned against the lockers, Isaac struggling to rise, his eyes heavy. Scott himself was struggling to stay awake and alert. One of the security guards was standing nearby with a gasoline canister in his hand.

“What is that?” Scott asked.

“It’s gasoline,” the guard said with a smirk. “Haigh says we gotta burn you.” He started pouring the gasoline on the teens.

“Wait, stop!” The guard dropped the now empty canister nearby and crouched down in front of Scott, flicking the lighter open, the flame dancing, a smirk on his face. In a last act of defiance, Scott blew out the flame. The guard reached for his baton when the music suddenly stopped. Scott’s eyes glowed red and he grabbed the would-be killer’s hand the held the lighter, crushing it with his werewolf enhanced strength. The guard gave a cry as he felt the bones break. He suddenly fell backwards as he was hit by something. Scott looked up to see Braeden had knocked him out, Isabel and Derek seeming to come out of nowhere. The other guards rushed them and the three engaged. While they fought the guards, Lilith and Devin came through the door Scott had been dragged through, Liam, Isaac, and Malia sitting up.

“You guys, alright?” Lilith asked. Scott nodded as the other three finished subduing the security guards. Derek turned to Scott and held his hand out.

“What happened to the gun?” Scott asked as Derek helped him to his feet.

“You’re covered in gasoline, you idiot,” Isabel said with a laugh as she helped Malia up. “We need to get you guys outta here.”

“I’ll agree to that,” Isaac said. “I don’t think I’m ever going to get this smell out of my nose.”

Lilith chuckled.

“Where’s Lindsey and Mason?” Liam asked as they left the building. As if their names were a summons, Lindsey ran around the building and slammed into Liam. She gave a squeal of surprise as Liam caught her arms to keep her from falling as Mason and Danny rounded the corner right behind her.

“Found them,” Isaac said, causing Malia to giggle.

“Are you guys okay?” Mason asked. Lindsey hugged Liam.

“We’re fine now.”

Lindsey pulled away, wrinkling her nose. “Why do you smell like you went swimming in gasoline?”

“Because someone tried to kill us,” Malia said. “Again.”

“Uh, guys?” Danny brought their attention over to Mason. Mason was looking the whole group over wide-eyed, no doubt noticing everyone that had been previously fall on their asses drunk were now completely sober. “He’s going to need an explanation as to why he and Lindsey just destroyed school property to stop the music.”

“We’ll explain later,” Lindsey said. “Once we get outta here and get them cleaned up.”

 

~~~

 

“No!” Lydia screamed. Brunski had Sean’s jaw in his left hand, the syringe’s needle stuck deep into his neck. “Please, don’t!”

“Shut up, Lydia!” Brunski growled. Sean’s breathing accelerated, his heart feeling like it was about to beat out of his chest. “You think you’re better than me, Sean? Huh? I’m not a killer!” Sean didn’t answer at first. “Yeah, don’t have any clever comebacks now, do you? I don’t have any strange talents, but I have a feeling you’re about to start begging for your life.”

“Not for mine,” Sean whispered. “Let the kids go. Do whatever you want with me, just let the kids go.”

“I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting that, but you know I can’t let them go.”

“You don’t have to do this.”

“Oh, I think I do.” Brunski shifted his weight and prepared to inject the contents into his neck. It was taking everything for Sean not to panic.

“Drop it!” Another voice cried. Brunski moved again, placing himself between Sean and Deputy Parrish. “Take your thumb off that needle and slowly withdraw it from his neck.” Parrish had his gun trained on Brunski, but with the nurse placing himself between behind Sean, the hellhound didn’t have a clear shot.

“Young Deputy,” Brunski said. “You’re just a kid.”

“I’m older than I look. Now remove the needle now.”

Brusnki snorted. “I bet you’ve never even fired your gun.”

“Do you want to test that theory?” Lydia could see the fear in Sean’s eyes. She, herself, was terrified.

Sean caught her eye. “Scream,” he mouthed.

Lydia then remembered how she used her voice against Lilith. She closed her eyes, focusing on Brunski before taking a deep breath, the Banshee scream ripping out of her throat. Everyone winced at the sheer volume. Brunski’s grip on Sean’s jaw slackened. Sean brought his head back, despite the fact the needle was still in his neck. Brunski gave a cry and completely released Sean. Sean ducked forward, giving Parrish the clear shot he needed as the scream died. Lydia screamed again, a natural human one, as Parrish fired, hitting Brunski in the chest. Brunski lay unmoving, his breaths coming in gasps. Parrish immediately started releasing Lydia, being the closest to her. Once she was free she went to Sean. He still had the needle in his neck and she carefully pulled it out before releasing him.

“Are you okay?”

Sean pressed his fingers to his neck to stop the bleeding. “I’ll be fine. Thanks to you and Jordan.” Lydia and Sean freed Stiles while Parrish called for backup.

“He killed my grandmother,” Lydia said once everyone was free. “He was controlling Meredith.”

“He used her to create the dead pool,” Sean added.

“And he killed her when she tried to help us,” Stiles finished.

Brunski coughed then laughed. “You… you think it was me?” he asked weakly. “That I was controlling her?” He laughed again. “Idiots. She was controlling me.” Brunski stopped breathing and his head rolled to the side, unseeing eyes staring at Stiles.

Sean checked for a pulse. “He’s dead,” he announced.

“He’s not the Benefactor,” Lydia suddenly said.

“No,” a woman’s voice said. Parrish spun around, leveling his weapon in the general direction the voice was coming from. Sean moved in front of the teens. They were all surprised to see Meredith come out from between some shelves and lean against it. “He wasn’t on my list. But he was a bad person.”

“I don’t even know what the hell’s happening anymore,” Sean said, falling on his rear from the crouch he’d been in.

Lydia scooted over to him. “Are you sure you’re okay, Sean.”

“I’m peachy. Getting tased. Having a needle with an unknown lethal substance in my neck. Just a typical Thursday in Beacon Hills.”

Stiles snorted a laugh. “That’s actually not an inaccurate description.” Parrish stepped away as his back up radioed him, relaying the situation. Sean leaned back against the post, rubbing his forehead. “I don’t think he’s okay.”

“What was your first clue?” Lydia asked. “He almost died. Again!”

“Didn’t need the reminder, Lydia,” Sean quipped.

“Sorry.”

“But I’ll be okay once the adrenaline wears off and my brain realizes I’m not dying in the next five seconds.” Lydia smiled.

“You didn’t ask him to spare your life,” Meredith suddenly said. “You asked for him to spare Stiles and Lydia. Why?”

“Do I have to have a reason?”

Meredith sat cross-legged in front of him, looking at him curiously. “You’re all your sister has. You could have begged for your life for her sake. But you didn’t. But you didn’t want to die, even if it meant you could see Laura again.”

“You’re right, Meredith. I could have. But begging for their lives gave Parrish time to get here and save us. It threw Brunski off and he hesitated.” Before they could continue the conversation, other deputies came into the room, along with Eichen’s director. He looked over the scene wide-eyed. Brunski dead, the chest of his scrubs soaked with blood, the open first aid kit, the needle on the floor, the four people sitting on the floor. Which started a long explanation on why they had been in the file room to begin with.

 

~~~

 

Lindsey ran through the hospital, ignoring the cries from the doctors for her to slow down. She finally found the room she was looking for.

“Sean!” she cried, relieved to see he was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a cotton ball to the inside of his arm. Sean looked over at her, before looking like he wanted to be anywhere else.

“Lindsey…,” he started.

“I have to find out you’re at the hospital from Jordan?! You couldn’t call to tell me yourself.”

“I’m going to kill him.”

“Why? What the hell happened?”

“Nothing that you need to worry about.”

“Sean!”

“Lindsey! I’m fine!”

“Stiles has a concussion and you both have burn marks on your necks.”

“Well, yelling at him isn’t helping things,” Lindsey turned to see Isabel in the doorway.

“He tell you too?” Sean asked.

“Stilinski told me when I found out that Meredith is still alive. I thought she committed suicide.”

“So did we. Turns out she’s the Benefactor.”

“She put her own name on a hit list of supernatural creatures. Are you sure or do you have a concussion too?”

“She told us herself that it was her list. She pretty much made Brunski do what she wanted.”

“What were you guys doing at Eichen house anyway?”

“The list of names Lydia’s grandmother left her were all people that had supposedly committed suicide at Eichen over the last ten years. We went to see if we could find some sort of connection between them. We bribed Brunski to let us in and then he tried to kill us.”

Lindsey groaned. “Why is everyone always trying to kill you?”

“You know, I keep asking myself that very question.”

Isabel smirked. “So Brunski was behind the suicides?” she asked.

“He was an Angel of Death. He was very insistent that he wasn’t a murderer.”

Isabel reached up and turned his head to his left, noticing the bruise forming around a pinprick on his neck. “You got lucky then.”

“Thanks to Jordan. He noticed that Brunski’s name was on every single death report.”

“Get some rest. As long as the list is still active, we’re going to continue to be very, very busy.” Lindsey turned to Sean as Isabel left.

“I’m fine. I promise.” Instead of responding, Lindsey hugged her brother. Sean smiled and returned the hug, not wanting to think about how close he came to leaving her alone again.


	34. Safe Haven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott tries to protect Satomi and her pack. Lydia and Stilinski try to find a way to stop the dead pool

“Keep running!” Daniel cried. The pouring rain had caused his clothes to stick to his body, his hair likewise sticking to his head. Ahead of him, running as fast as their werewolf speed let them, were Brett and his younger sister, Lori. A group of Hunters had found the pack and decided to cash in on the dead pool. Everyone had scattered, Satomi telling them all to meet at the Beacon Hills Animal Clinic if they could. The three of them had somehow ended up at the high school, running between the buses. The young teenaged girl was terrified. The two were ahead of Daniel, being much faster. Daniel gave a cry and stumbled, feeling an arrow bite into the back of his thigh. Brett stopped, turning as Daniel pulled it from his leg.

“Don’t stop!” Daniel cried, motioning him to keep going. “Run!” He felt the wound immediately healing. He sprinted towards Brett, who had turned and did as he was told. Lori fell and Brett helped her up. More arrows sailed past them, one striking Brett. He gave a cry and staggered.

“Go, Lori!” he cried. “Run!” A Hunter came out from between the busses, forcing Brett to defend himself. Daniel caught up and slammed into the Hunter. He hit the bus hard before falling to the ground unconscious.

“Where’s Lori?” Brett ran in the direction his sister had gone. Daniel didn’t know where the Hunters were but he had a bad feeling they were being herded. They finally reached the end of the busses and they saw Lori running towards the lacrosse field.

“Wait!” Brett called. “Wait!” She ran onto the field. “Lori, stop!” She stopped, allowing Brett and Daniel to catch up to her. One by one the lights on the field came on and Daniel realized they’d ran right where the Hunters wanted them. Lori clung to her brother as Daniel pushed Brett behind him. From the home side stands, several lasers pointed at them. Daniel looked down, every single one of them aimed at his chest.

“What’s happening?” Lori cried, the terror in her voice. Both Daniel and Brett knew they couldn’t run any more. They’d been corralled and they knew there was no escape.

“Close your eyes, Lori,” Daniel said. Lori buried her face into Brett’s arm as the first arrow came sailing towards him. Only to be blocked by a katana.

“Run!” the kitsune girl cried.

“Go!” Daniel cried. Brett and Lori didn’t have to be told twice. The kitsune blocked the hail of arrows that came at her. A woman, another supernatural, ran onto the field throwing her arm out. The arrows hit an invisible wall.

“Kira! Come on!” she cried. Kira retreated back, the woman doing the same. They ran towards a silver Aspen.

“Get in!” Daniel knew the driver for a Valkyrie, but there was something different about him. He’d never sensed a Valkyrie like him before. Everyone piled in.

“Go, Devin!” Devin fishtailed as he pressed the gas to the floor, speeding away from the school.

“How did you know we were there?” Daniel asked, chilled now that he was out of the rain.

“Devin sensed the three of you,” the woman said, running her fingers through her wet hair. “We had a feeling you were in danger.”

Kira jerked a thumb at the woman. “She had a feeling you were in danger,” she said.

“No matter who felt it, you have our thanks,” Daniel said.

Devin looked over his shoulder. “Yeah, Scott would have killed us if we left you. And so would Isabel. Actually, she would have just killed me.”

The woman gave a snort of laughter. “You just might be right,” she said, the amusement in her voice.

“You’re the Greenes’ boy? The youngest?”

“Yeah, as they’ve already told you, I’m Devin. It’s actually really nice to finally meet you.”

“Say that once we survive this.”

 

~~~

 

Lydia paced back and forth.

“Lydia, why don’t you go home?” Parrish asked. “Sean and Stiles are at the hospital. If you don’t want to go home, you can go and see them. Or you can help me fill out this incident report by screaming at it because I’m this close to setting it on fire.” Lydia smiled. “And there it is.”

“I didn’t actually thank you for saving us.”

“You should have let me talk to Stilinski about getting a search warrant.”

“How did you know we were there?”

“I didn’t. Not until I got there. I was just going to go and ask Brunski about the patients, get some insight on their deaths and what led to their suicides. I wasn’t expecting to catch him in the act of trying to kill the three of you.”

Stilinski came out of his office at that moment. He sighed when he saw Lydia. “Why are you still here?” he asked.

“What did she say?”

“Hard to tell. There were words. I’m not sure there were actual sentences.”

“Great. Nothing.”

“I think we need a psychologist,” Stilinski picked up the phone and started to dial. “Or a medium.”

“Is she even competent enough to be charged with something?”

“She was competent enough to make a dead pool,” Parrish pointed out.

Stilinski hung up the phone. “If Meredith is the Benefactor, then that means she was competent enough to blackmail Brunski into helping her and competent enough to use the money he stole to fund her dead pool. This girl’s practically a criminal mastermind.”

“There’s gotta be a reason why she would do this.”

“I’m only interested in the _why_ if it tells me the _how_.”

“You mean how to stop it?”

“After what happened to Scott and the others at the bonfire, this thing’s still going. The payments could be automatic. And as long as killers are getting paid, and paid very well, that list is going to keep getting smaller.”

“We don’t just need to stop the dead pool.”

“We need to stop the money,” Parrish finished. “We need to find the source of the payments.”

“Easier said than done,” Stilinski added with a sigh.

 

~~~

 

Satomi was relieved to see Daniel walk into the back with Brett and Lori. “I thought we might have lost the three of you,” she said.

“We had help.” Daniel motioned to the three behind him. “They saved our lives.”

Satomi’s eyes fell on the kitsune. “You must be Noshiko’s daughter,” she said. “You look just like her.”

“I’m Kira,” the teenager introduced herself. “Mom told me about you.”

“Not my proudest moment.” Kira nodded, understanding. Devin and Lilith were introduced next.

“Is this everyone?” Devin asked, looking over the group gathered in the room.

“Everyone not killed by the virus that nearly killed you.” They heard the door open and Daniel sensed a wolf entering.

“Scott’s here,” Devin said. Kira went to go meet him. He smiled when he saw her, not having seen her since her mother was taken to the hospital in Palo Alto. She rushed over to him and kissed him, having heard from Devin what happened the night before.

“How’s your mom?” he asked when she broke away.

“She’s fine. She’s healing.”

“What about you?”

“Me?”

“Are you okay?”

“Right now? Very.” Scott gave a chuckle. “What about you? Devin told me what happened.”

“I’m fine, thanks to Lindsey and Mason.” Kira smiled. “Your message said you found Brett and Isabel’s dad.”

“Actually, I think we found all of them.”

“We?”

“Me, Devin, and Lilith.” She took his hand and led him into the back of the clinic. “Satomi, this is Scott.”

Satomi smiled. “Wish I could have met you under different circumstances,” she said. Scott’s eyes wandered to the man next to her. He’d known him as Dominic until Isabel informed him that his real name was Daniel. He’d met Isabel’s father without even realizing.

“Are we safe here?” a blond haired girl who was clutching Brett’s arm asked. Scott looked over everyone in the room. They looked hopeless, exhausted, and afraid. Lilith had been moving among them seeing what she could do to help them. Devin had moved next to Kira.

Scott turned to the two. “We’re going to need help,” he said. “A lot of help.”

“And we’re going to need to move them somewhere else,” Devin said. “Deaton isn’t going to appreciate it if the clinic gets destroyed when they’re pursuers find them.”

Scott nodded, knowing he was right. “I think I know the place we can take them.”

 

~~~

 

Malia all but ran to the nurses’ station, looking for Melissa. Melissa saw her coming and went to her.

“Malia,” she said.

“Lydia said that Stiles was here. Is he okay? What happened?”

Melissa put her hands on the coyote’s arms. “First, I need you to take a few breaths and keep calm, okay?” Malia nodded. “Stiles’ is fine. He has a concussion and the doctors want to keep him for observation.”

“Can I see him?”

Melissa smiled. “Of course you can.” Melissa led her to Stiles’ room, giving a knock before walking in. “Stiles?”

“Did you find the tape player?”

“No, but you have a visitor.” She stepped aside and let Malia into the room. The first thing she did was quickly walk over to him and hug him.

“I heard you almost got killed,” she said as Melissa stepped out of the room.

Stiles wrapped his arms around her. “I heard the same about you,” he replied. “Are you okay?”

“Brunski punched me in the face. Turns out he was a serial killer.”

Malia pulled away. “That actually makes sense.” The two had known Brunski fairly well during their time at Eichen House, he to protect himself from the nogitsune, she trying to come to terms to her being human again after eight years of being a coyote. It was how they actually met. Stiles’ pulled her from her thoughts, running his thumb across her cheek.

“What about you?”

“We almost got set on fire.”

“Everyone okay?”

“Basically. I think Liam is now scarred for life. Scott and Isaac took it in stride.”

“Figures.”

“How’s Sean?”

“They had to run some tests on him since Brunski had a syringe full of pancuronium bromide stuck in his neck and wanted to make sure he didn’t have any in his system.”

Malia nodded before turned and sitting on the bed. “Stiles, I don’t know who else to talk to about something. I can’t talk to Derek or Isabel because they have enough to deal with since Derek lost his powers.”

Stiles sat on the bed next to her. “Talk about what?”

“It’s about Dad. He’s been acting really strange ever since we fought the berserkers at the school. He’s not the same guy I know. I just don’t know how to describe him. You know, I found him passed out of the floor a few weeks ago and he almost killed Devin.” Stiles’ eyebrows scrunched together. “He said he was fine and his heartbeat said he was telling the truth, but I don’t know if I believe him. There’s something wrong and I don’t know what it is or how to help him. I didn’t want to tell Scott or the others because they didn’t trust him for so long and I don’t want them to think he’s going back to his old ways.”

“He and Kate fought, didn’t they?”

“Devin said they did.”

“Do you think that Kate could have done something to him?”

Malia shook her head. “I don’t know. Like what?”

“Like get into his head.”

“I really don’t know.”

 

~~~

 

Between Devin’s Aspen and Kira’s Toyota, they were able to make one trip. Scott led the way on his dirt bike to the old Argent warehouse. Once they were inside, Devin suddenly froze, immediately recognizing it from the vision he had.

“Devin?” Lilith asked, noticing his sudden halting. “What’s wrong?”

“This is it,” he whispered. “This is the place I saw in my vision.”

“That’s not going to happen, Devin. That’s why I’m here, remember?” She gave him a smile. “No one is going to die here.” She placed a hand on his cheek. “I promise.”

“You can’t promise that.”

“I can and I will. I’m a witch, remember?” Devin snorted a laugh, a smile playing on his lips. They heard a commotion and growling and darted towards the noise.

“Wait!” They heard Scott shout. “Brett! This is his place. It’s his.” Devin and Lilith joined them to see Chris with his .45 pointed at Brett and the werewolf growling at him. To Devin’s surprise, Brett backed down going back to stand with the rest of his pack.

“Scott, if you were bringing guests, you could have called.”

“I didn’t have anywhere else to take them.” Chris put his gun back into its place.

Satomi stepped forward. “I know this man,” she said. “He may not remember, but we’ve met before.”

“You can trust him,” Scott said.

“Do you?” Daniel questioned.

“With my life.”

“How do we know he’s not like the others?” Satomi asked.

“What others?” Chris asked.

“Last night, there was a whole team after them,” Kira explained. She pulled a bolt out of her pocket. “They used crossbows.” Chris examined the bolt, noticing the eagle stamped into the arrowhead. His jaw set, recognizing the symbol of the Falcone family of Hunters.

“They’re Hunters, aren’t they?”

“Not if they’re killing for profit. Not anymore.”

“Can they find us?” Brett asked.

“They might already know you’re here. Maybe they’re waiting for dark.”

“They can’t keep running,” Devin said. “Eventually, those Hunters will catch up to them.”

“Devin’s right,” Daniel said.

Satomi nodded. “We’ve been trying to get out for days. Everywhere we turn, we find someone new trying to kill us.”

“If they’re coming, Scott,” Chris said. “They’re coming for you, too. You’re still number one on the dead pool.”

“I know,” Scott said. “I know Lydia can get the answer from Meredith. She just needs more time.”

“Time is something we haven’t much of,” Daniel said.

“If anyone can get Meredith to talk,” Devin said. “It’ll be Lydia.”

“You two have a lot of faith in this girl.”

“Not only is she a Banshee,” Devin turned to Daniel. “She’s a genius.”

“In the meantime,” Lilith said. “I think we should call for some backup in case she doesn’t get the answers in time.” Scott nodded, pulling out his phone and making a call.


	35. Facing the Tiger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia and Stilinski question Meredith. Stiles and Malia try to figure out how to stop the dead pool. Scott and Satomi's packs decide to fight back.

The psychologists left the sheriff’s office and Stilinski sighed, seeing Lydia still at the station.

“Why are you still here?” he asked.

“Did they get anything out of her?”

“Should have gone with the medium.” Lydia sighed.

Parrish walked through the door. “We went through Brunski’s office and only found evidence of him being an Angel of Death, but nothing to connect him to the dead pool or the Benefactor.” He looked at Lydia. “Did you not go home yet?”

“Not until Meredith starts talking.”

“Lydia,” Stilinski sighed. “I promise she’ll talk and when she does, I’ll let you know. Trust me on this. Everyone talks eventually.”

“Wait…,” Parish said, looking into the office at Meredith. “She’s a Banshee, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe we should let Lydia talk to her?”

“No.”

“Why not? She probably has a better chance at getting her to open up than we do.” Stilinski sighed. “She got her to tell her the second cipher key.”

“Fine.” He motioned for Lydia and Parrish to follow him into his office. Meredith looked between the three of them. Stilinski and Parrish settled against Stilinski’s desk while Lydia started to pace.

“I think I’m getting an idea of how all this happened,” she finally said. “You used Brunski, right?” Meredith just watched her, not saying a word. “You knew he’d killed people and that he would do it again.” Meredith was still quiet. Lydia sat next to her. “He used my grandmother’s code for the dead pool. He put it online. He took the money from the Hale vault then turned the bearer bonds into cash. He made the payments. Was it Brunski’s idea to fake your death?” Meredith was still silent, but Parrish had a feeling she was about to start talking, judging by the look on the older Banshee’s face. “Did he get nervous because you helped us with one of the cipher keys?”

“I wanted to help,” Meredith finally broke her silence, causing Stilinski’s eyebrows to climb up his forehead.

“All you ever wanted to do was help.” Meredith nodded. “Is that why you’re here? I know you wouldn’t want to be here if you didn’t want to talk.”

“I do. But only to one person.”

“Who?” Stilinski asked.

“Peter.” The three looked at each other. “Peter Hale.”

 

~~~

 

Stiles and Malia left the hospital, Stiles telling her about the tape he took from the scene with Lydia’s grandmother’s name on it. He had a gut feeling that the tape would tell them how to stop the dead pool.

“How are you so sure?” Malia asked.

“I… I don’t know. It just a feeling I have.” His father was still at the station so they had the house to themselves. He pulled his stereo off the shelf and put it on his desk, popping the tape into the player and pressing play. As they listened they realized that Lorraine had escaped from Eichen and Brunski went to retrieve her.

“But where did she go?” Malia asked.

“We need to find out,” Stiles said. As they listened to the background noise, which oddly enough was lacking. Malia suddenly cocked her head to the side.

“Rewind that.” Stiles complied as she listened. “That’s it. That’s where it is. Play it again and turn it up.” Stiles rewound the tape again and pressed play, turning the volume all the way up. As Lorraine called Brunski out on taping her like he had the others, Malia figured out the sound she was hearing.

“It’s the record player,” she said.

Stiles stopped the tape. “What record player?”

“The one in the lake house. In the study.”

“So she escaped Eichen House to go back and listen to a record player?”

“She was like Lydia, right? A Banshee? Lydia got the first cipher key by listening to that record player.”

“But Lorraine only did it once. She predicted Maddy’s death then spent decades trying to predict something else.”

Malia had a thoughtful look on her face before the proverbial lightbulb went off. “Maybe she finally did. And what of this time, it wasn’t just one death, but a lot of deaths?”

“Like the dead pool?”

“What if all those years ago, Lorraine predicted it? And she knew there was something in the study that could stop it.”

“Then we’re going to the lake house.” Stiles grabbed his keys and they ran out of the house.

 

~~~

 

Derek and Isabel arrived at the warehouse, followed by Sean, Lindsey, and Isaac. Once Derek saw that they were going to need even more fighters, Derek called Braeden. Once everyone was there and the situation explained, Chris went to all the entrances and set up sensors. Satomi had gathered her people close and was trying to keep them calm. Braeden was loading her shotgun. Kira looked scared as she ran her fingers up and down the sheath of her katana. Lilith looked like she was meditating. Devin explained she was gathering power from the Universe. Lindsey was checking her supply of crossbow bolts, a .22 pistol strapped to her right thigh. It was the first time Scott had ever seen her with a gun. Sean looked like he was loaded, an assault rifle slung over his shoulder, with another handgun strapped to his thigh. He also knew he was packing one in the waistband of his jeans. The Valkyries were loading themselves with seemingly random objects but Scott knew that they would be deadly weapons once they Hunters arrived. Derek was looking everyone over, the gun Braeden gave him in his hand.

Scott approached him. “They’ll be okay,” he said.

Derek didn’t look convinced. “They’ve got claws and fangs, but they’re not fighters,” he said.

“That’s why I called you and Isabel to help.”

“Well, try to remember I don’t have claws and fangs anymore either.”

“That’s why he called me,” Braeden said. “Isabel and Devin will only be able to do so much, even with their abilities combined.”

“We have three Valkyrie,” Isabel corrected. “But she’s right. We needed more than us. That’s why Chris called Sean.”

“Am I the only one still hoping this is just a false alarm?” Kira asked.

“Because it’s not,” Devin said. “There’s going to be a fight here. And we’re going to be hard-pressed to survive it.”

“You’ve seen something,” Isabel said. Devin noticed it wasn’t a question. “What did you see?”

“Death. It’s why I called Lilith. Before she left Beacon Hills I saw her standing with us. I knew we couldn’t survive tonight without here.”

“Nice of you to say something now,” Derek said.

“You had enough to worry about.”

“Scott,” Braeden broke in. “Have you heard anything from Stiles or Lydia yet?” The two were trying to find a way to stop the dead pool.

“Lydia’s still talking to Meredith and Stiles and Malia are headed to the lake house. He thinks that there’s something there that can stop it.”

“What if there is no stopping it?” Brett suddenly asked. “What if it doesn’t end until we’re all dead?” The whole room went silent. No one had thought of that or even wanted to consider it. It was Derek that broke the silence.

“Then let’s send a message,” he said. “Let’s make something perfectly clear to anyone with a copy of that list,” All eyes were on Derek now, including Lilith, who had come out of her meditation and joined Devin. “It doesn’t matter if they’re professional assassins, hunters, or an amateur who just picked up a gun. Anyone who thinks they can hunt and kill us for money is gonna be put on another list. Our list. They get to be a name on our dead pool.” Isabel stepped next to him, sliding her hand into his as Braeden cocked her shotgun.

“And tonight,” Isabel said. “We are going to stand and fight for as long as we have breath. For as long as it takes. Because it ends tonight.” Her eyes glowed bright blue, Devin and Daniel answering with their own glowing eyes. In the doorway, Chris smiled, having heard everything. They were determined to fight. And he was determined to protect them. For Allison.

 

~~~

 

Peter rubbed his temples as he sat at his kitchen table. He was beginning to feel as if he didn’t have any control over anything anymore. He’d been avoiding all members of the pack, including his own daughter ever since he almost killed Devin. He felt horrible about it, having not realized what he was doing until it was almost too late. He was thankful that Devin could heal. His phone started ringing and he grabbed it without looking to see who it was.

“What?” he snapped.

 _“Hello to you too, Peter,”_ Lydia said.

Peter sighed. “Lydia, now is not a…”

_“They found who stole your money.”_

Peter froze. “What?”

 _“She’s not talking to anyone,”_ Stilinski said and Peter realized that Lydia had her phone on speaker. _“But she’s requesting to talk to you.”_

“I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Peter hung up and grabbed his keys.

 

~~~

 

Meredith was sitting in the interrogation room, Parrish standing guard over her. Peter just stared at her, wondering if this hadn’t just been a ploy to bait him in coming to the station. Next to him stood Lydia, Stilinski on the far end of the two-way mirror.

“Her?” Peter asked, his voice betraying his disbelief. “That’s the girl who stole my money?”

“That girl is a Banshee,” Lydia informed him, making Peter believe that this whole thing really had been a ploy to draw him to the station. But he wondered if the ploy had been necessary because of his recent antisocialness while he tried to figure out what was going on with himself. “They’re more dangerous than you think.”

“Oh, I am well aware of how dangerous a Banshee can be, but I think that girl’s pilot light went out a long time ago. Sheriff, not to question the unquestionably sterling reputation of your department,” Stilinski rolled his eyes as Peter spoke. “But are you absolutely sure you got the one?” Stilinski looked like he wanted to punch Peter at that moment.

“Why don’t you just go in there and see what she has to say?” he replied.

“Fine. I’ll humor you. This better so be worth wasting my time for.” Peter stepped into the room and took the chair across from the Banshee. The two looked at each other for a few minutes before Peter broke the silence. “Okay… Meredith, where’s my money?” Meredith gave him a confused look. “Or more correctly, what’s left of it.” Meredith cocked her head before slowly reaching her left hand out towards Peter’s face. She touched his right cheek, Peter letting her before snatching her wrist and pulling her hand away.

“Let her go, Peter,” Parrish warned.

Peter held her wrist for a moment before putting it down on the table. “Why did you do that?” he asked. The right side of his face had been horribly burned in the fire that had killed most of his family and left him slowly healing for six years, before he accidentally killed his niece and became Alpha and went on a killing spree, biting his future Alpha to try to build his pack.

“They’re all gone,” Meredith whispered. Peter looked at her. “The burns. They’re all gone.”

Peter looked up at Parrish, whose brows were knit together in confusion. “How did you know that?” Peter asked. “We’ve never met? How could you have possibly known that I had been burned seven years ago,” He shook his head, focusing on controlling his anger, realizing this was the Banshee behind the dead pool and its payments. “Meredith, you put everyone, including my nephew and my daughter, on a death list. Don’t you think you owe us the slightest explanation why?”

“You said it had to be kept secret,” Meredith said in a low voice.

“I said? I said that to you?”

“You said it.”

“Meredith, allow me to remind you yet again we have never met. Ever.”

“You don’t remember?”

Peter snorted, before he looked at her again, an idea forming in his mind. “No, but maybe you do.” He stood throwing the table aside. Parrish stepped forward, but Peter threw him aside like he was nothing. He grabbed Meredith by the throat before stabbing his claws into the back of her neck.

 

~~~

 

The waiting was the longest. Isabel could tell all of Satomi’s pack were afraid. Derek was right about them not being fighters. She was pretty sure the only fighters in the pack were Satomi and Daniel. She watched her father as he went around to the members of his pack, reassuring them and trying to keep the younger ones calm. She really hoped that Devin’s vision wouldn’t come true and that Lilith would be enough to change it. She’d just found out her father was alive, she didn’t want to lose him again. Isabel felt a hand slip into hers and looked over to see Derek.

“I’m not going to lie,” Derek said in a low voice. “This is probably the most scared I’ve ever been.”

“I don’t know,” Isabel said with a smirk. “You were a pretty scared teenager.”

“That doesn’t count.” Isabel gave a small laugh.

The small smile that had appeared on Derek’s face at the banter faded. “I’m not sure Lilith’s magic will be enough to stop Devin’s prediction. We might have just set two packs up for death.”

“I know. But I’m not running anymore. I spent half my life running from something,” Isabel looked at Derek. “But a wise wolf once told me that I would always be running.” Derek smiled. “Sometimes you have to turn and face the tiger on your ass.” She squeezed his hand. “I’m done running.” An alarm started to beep, drawing everyone’s attention. Isabel looked up at Derek. “Time to face that tiger.” Two small silver canisters went flying through the air.

“Get back!” Braeden cried as two flash bombs went off and the sounds of gunfire started. The fight for their lives had begun.


	36. Survival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia, Stilinski, and Parrish discover how the dead pool was created. Satomi and Scott's packs fight for their lives. Stiles and Malia make a discovery at the lake house.

Stilinski rushed into the room, Lydia right behind him. Peter and Meredith were stock still. He had his eyes closed as he looked at her memories to find out how she knew him.

“Don’t touch them!” Lydia said as Stilinski approached Peter.

“It’ll kill them both,” Parrish added.

“Then what do we do? Wait until he decides he’s seen enough?”

“Pretty much.”

“What? Are you suddenly an expert on the supernatural?” Parrish just looked at Stilinski. “Right. Yeah. Forgot you were actually born into this and just acted like you were clueless.” Meredith suddenly started muttering. “What’s happening? Can either of you understand that?”

“I can hear it perfectly,” Lydia said.

“Is she speaking in Banshee?”

“Really, Stilinski?” Parrish asked.

“She was in the hospital,” Lydia seemed to be in a slight trance as she listened. “The same hospital.”

“The same hospital as Peter?”

Lydia nodded. “It was right after the fire. Meredith could hear him.”

“Hear what?” Stilinski asked. “He was comatose.”

“She could hear everything. She was hearing every thought in his head like they somehow found the same wavelength. And now everything going through his mind was also going right into hers.”

“For how long?”

“Weeks. Maybe even months. It was almost like he was standing right over her bed talking about the fire. About getting revenge.”

“On the Argents?”

“On everyone. The fire did something to him that made him break and blame everyone and everything,” Lydia looked at Peter. “It was his idea. Seven years ago.” Peter suddenly pulled his claws out of Meredith and he fell backwards. Parrish caught Meredith before she fell out of the chair. Stilinski drew his piece and actually pointed it at Peter.

Peter in turned looked up at him, a puzzled look on his face. “Whoa. I just needed to know how she knew me,” he said.

“It was your idea and you don’t even remember,” Lydia said.

“What? How the hell was I supposed to remember that? I was in a freaking coma!”

“She got it from you.”

“I realize that now. But I was out of my mind. I just lost almost my entire family to a fire and barely survived myself. Do you know what it’s like for one of us to be in a coma? Paralyzed but cognizant? You try not going crazy.”

“She was listening to you,” Parrish said.

“She was listening to the ranting and raving of a lunatic,” Peter paused. “A former lunatic. I’m much healthier now,” He looked at Stilinski. “I had nothing to do with this.”

“If she was following your lead on this, then how do we know there isn’t more?”

“Wait, are we back to me being the bad guy again?”

“You’re the only one here with the motive to kill everyone.”

“Why would I put my own family on the list? Why would I put Derek and Malia on a hit list?”

“Stop,” Lydia suddenly said. “This is what she wants. Sheriff, there’s three people in here that are still on the dead pool. Me, Parrish, and Meredith.”

“But not Peter,” Parrish pointed out.

“Lydia’s right,” Peter said. “We don’t want to kill each other.”

“You’re the only one I’m pointing a gun at,” Stilinski said.

“Then you better make it a perfect shot, Sheriff, because I don’t go down easy.”

“I’m going to bet a bullet between the eyes doesn’t heal real fast.”

“Stilinski!” Lydia cried.

“What are you going to charge me with? How are you explain this to a judge?” Stilinski hesitated. “Telepathic girl overhears thoughts of comatose werewolf and decides to enact his plans for retribution? They’re going to be pointing the gun at your head and asking you to go quietly.”

“We can’t charge him, Stilinski,” Parrish said. “We can’t prove anything. We couldn’t even prove he was the one who killed all those people last year and Kate took the blame for it.”

“Damn it!” Stilinski said, lowering his gun.

“I knew you’d see reason,” Peter said, before walking past them and towards the door.

~~~

 

Roars and gunfire filled the air as the two packs fought against the Hunters. But for each Hunter that fell, two more seemed to take their place. All three Valkyries were in their full forms, as were most of the werewolves. Devin stayed close to Lilith, her magic depleting quicker than she’d anticipated. Daniel used his wings as weapons, along with the quarterstaff he’d conjured. Isabel’s daggers flashed. She didn’t want to use her light ability unless she had no other choice. Scott and Isaac were using their superior strength to beat down the Hunters, leaving several unconscious. Crossbow bolts flew through the air, hitting their targets until Lindsey ran out of bolts and switched to her .22. Braeden and Derek were back to back, firing their weapons.

“How many are there?!” Derek cried, seeing the seemingly never-ending tide of Hunters.

“Too many!” Braeden answered. Isaac gave a cry as a bullet ripped through his side as he pushed Lindsey out of the line of fire.

“Isaac!”

“I’ll heal! Get to cover!” He pushed her back and went back into the fray with a roar. Daniel went down as he was hit in the thigh.

“Dominic!” Satomi cried, using the name she was used to calling him. Daniel didn’t respond, only beat his wings, the wind caused by the movement throwing several Hunters back. Lindsey ran into Brett. He raised his hand before he realized it was only Lindsey. She took down the Hunter coming up behind the wolf.

“Brett!” Scott called upon seeing them. “Get the others back! Tell them to hide!” Brett nodded. “Lindsey, go with him.” Lindsey nodded and ran after Brett.

“Scott!” Isaac cried. “There’s too many!”

“Go help Lindsey and Brett protect the others.”

“What about you?”

“Don’t worry about me! Go!” Isaac darted away.

Lilith suddenly darted towards the middle of the room. “Devin! Cover me!”

“Lilith!” He darted after her, an assault rifle he took from one of the Hunters in his hands. Once she was in the middle of the room, she began her spell, Devin covering her. Energy seemed to explode from her body as she finished the spell just as Devin was hit in the chest and fell. Scott saw one of the Hunters aiming his rifle at one of the younger teens in Satomi’s pack and tackled him before throwing him onto a desk and hopping on top of him, slashing at his chest with his claws. Isabel rounded the corner and saw the girl on the floor, watching Scott with horror on her face. Isabel gaped, watching the uncharacteristic ferociousity of Scott’s attack.

“Scott!” Isabel screamed. Scott didn’t seem to hear her. “Scott!”

 

~~~

 

Stiles and Malia spent most of the day trying to figure out what was so important to Lorraine in the study that she had to escape Eichen House to come there. They even went as far as to listen to the record player before Stiles came to the conclusion that it was a dead end and turned it off. Malia then informed him that she could still hear something spinning, which lead to the discovery of three 1970s IBM computers in the wall. And the possibility of Natalie committing murder because they tore the wall apart to find them. Malia’s first instinct was to punch them to destroy them, thinking that would stop the dead pool.

Stiles stopped her. “You can’t just smash it to pieces,” he said. “If this thing’s being used to disseminate the list, then it’s probably going to keep going until everyone’s dead.”

“Then what do we do?”

“It needs some kind of prompt or command or something.”

Malia pointed at the top of the middle computer. “What about a key?” Stiles looked and saw the keyhole and pulled out his phone, making a video call to Lydia.

“Uh, Lydia,” he said when she answered. “Your mom is probably going to kill us but you need to see what we found.” He turned the phone around so Lydia could see the computers.

_“You’re right. Mom is going to murder you.”_

“There’s a way to turn it off right?”

_“I don’t know anything about computers from the 1970s.”_

“Neither do we,” Malia added.

 _“Okay, where’s the monitor?_ ”

“There’s no monitor,” Stiles said, turning away from the computers. “There are buttons, knobs, spindles, but no monitor.” He dropped the phone slightly as he turned back towards Malia.

_“Wait, turn the phone back. Point it back at the carpet.”_

“Do what?”

_“The floor! Just show me the floor!”_

“Uh, okay?” Stiles showed her the floor.

_“There should be red blotches, a wine stain.”_

“Uh, the carpet is perfectly white.”

_“That doesn’t make sense. I gave the five hundred I was supposed to use to hire cleaners to Brunski.”_

“Lydia, what the hell does wine have to do with anything?”

 _“Red wine just doesn’t disappear,”_ Lydia paused. _“Unless it wasn’t wine.”_

“Is she having a Banshee moment?” Malia asked. “I don’t understand her when she has Banshee moments.”

“ _The ashes weren’t ashes. The study isn’t a study. The record player isn’t a record player. So maybe the wine isn’t wine.”_

“What kind was it? I’ll see if it’s still here.”

_“It was a 1982 Cotes du Rhone.”_

Stiles ended the call and ran out of the room. He almost fell down the stairs in his rush to the wine closet. He threw the door open. “Oh my God!” he exclaimed upon seeing all the wine bottles. “How many kinds of wine do they have?!” He started picking up bottles of red wine, looking for the one Lydia mentioned. He finally found it, hearing something rattle inside as he picked it up. He rushed back up the stairs, almost falling again before he burst through the door. “There’s definitely something inside.” Malia snatched the bottle from his hand and smashed it on the ground. Stiles dived in to look through the glass, trying not to cut his fingers. He found a small key and held it up. The two looked at each other for a moment and Stiles darted over to the computers, sliding the key into the lock. “It fits!”

“Turn it, Stiles!” Malia cried when he looked over at her. “Turn it now!”

 

Stiles turned the key.


	37. Terminated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack receives great news. Devin has a disturbing premonition. Lindsey and Liam make a confession to Mason.

Isabel gave a full Scream and Scott froze, hand in the air. “Scott!” Scott looked up at her and she could see that he had started to give in to his animalistic side, his skin the same color grey as Deucalion’s when he was in a shift. Slowly, he returned to normal before looking down at the Hunter. The Hunter had his hands up, trying to protect his face. Suddenly, the gunfire started to die off and the remaining Hunters began to back down. The Hunter’s cellphone buzzed and Scott reached down and pulled it out of his pocket and read the message. He looked at Isabel before he turned the phone to where the Hunter could see it.

 

**ALL CONTRACTS TERMINATED**

 

Scott hopped down off the man, putting his phone back into his pocket. Isabel stepped forward and used her blood to heal the worst of his wounds.

“Get out of here,” she said. He rolled off the table and ran.

“Scott!” Kira cried, running towards them.

“Are you okay?” he asked as she threw an arm around him. Isabel held her hand out to Lori and she took it, leading the girl away from the Alpha.

“Go find your brother,” Isabel said. Lori darted away. Isabel found Derek and he wrapped his arms around her.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Nothing I won’t heal from,” she responded. Satomi and Sean were knelt next to Daniel, who’d taken a bullet to the back protecting Sean. “Daddy?”

“I’ll be alright, Butterfly,” he said with a reassuring smile. He nodded his head towards the middle of the room. “I’m not sure if Devin and Lilith will be as lucky.” Isabel turned to see the two lying near each other. Isabel and Derek went over to them. Lilith was out cold, from the use of her magical energies.

Devin had a wound to the middle of his chest. “Did it work?” he asked.

“I think they stopped the dead pool,” Isabel answered, flicking out her talons and using them to dig out the bullet so he could heal. “We haven’t taken full stock yet, but I think you bringing Lilith in helped keep that vision of yours from coming to pass.” Lindsey came around the corner with Isaac.

“Good,” Devin whispered, closing his eyes as Isabel pulled the bullet free and dropped it on the ground. She stood and turned back towards Derek, resting her head on his chest.

“Is it over?” Kira asked. “For good?” It was the question they all had been wondering. Derek wrapped his arms around Isabel holding her as she gave a ragged breath.

“I believe it is,” Daniel said. “I think your friends succeeded in stopping it.”

Scott’s phone suddenly rang and he answered it, giving a sigh of relief as he listened. “Thank God. You saved all of us,” Scott hung up and looked over everyone. “Stiles and Malia found where the contracts and payments were coming from. They stopped the dead pool.”

Satomi stood. “Then we are free to go home.”

“I like the sound of that,” Daniel said.

“Then let’s go home.”

 

~~~

 

Lindsey flopped back onto her bed, sore and exhausted. Sean and Chris were taking Devin and Lilith to Devin’s apartment, the two out cold. Devin had sustained a serious injury but was healing. Lilith had used every ounce of her power in the fight. They both needed rest. Isabel and Derek had gone with Satomi’s pack to make sure they made it home safe and Isabel wanted to make sure her father was healing from his own wounds. Braeden went off on her own, while Kira headed home to inform her mother that she was no longer in danger. Scott and Isaac headed home themselves to heal, having been shot multiple times in the skirmish. Lindsey pulled her phone out of her pocket and saw that she’d had a missed call and text from Liam. She sat up, her heart in her throat as she opened it.

 

_I tried to call you but I only got your voicemail. If you get this, text or call me and let me know you’re okay._

 

Lindsey didn’t care that it was late and she was exhausted, she dialed Liam.

 _“Hello?”_ Liam answered, sounding like she’d woken him up.

“Sorry, Liam, but your text sounded kinda urgent.”

_“You’re okay!”_

“I’m okay.”

_“I’m sorry I didn’t…”_

“It’s okay,” Lindsey cut him off. She knew he was about to apologize for not being there. “You didn’t need to be there. It was better you weren’t.”

_“What happened?”_

“We took a stand. Satomi was done running and we all knew that the dead pool would follow us no matter where we went. Lydia, Stiles, and Malia tried to figure out how to stop the dead pool. And the great news is they succeeded.”

_"How?"_

“Stiles and Malia found these old IBM computers in the lake house and figured out that they were how the list was being sent out. They found a key and turned them off. It terminated the dead pool.”

_“So nobody is coming after us anymore?”_

“It’s over.” Lindsey looked towards her window as thunder rumbled. “We can probably stop looking over our shoulders so much now.”

_“I hope so.”_

“I know it’s late and I don’t want to get you in trouble with your mom for being on the phone.”

_“Lindsey, Mason keeps asking about what happened at school. At the bonfire. I don’t know how to explain it to him. How to explain how we were fall down drunk one minute and sober the next. Why we were covered in gasoline or why someone was trying to kill us. I don’t want to keep lying to him but I don’t know how to tell him the truth.”_

“We’ll think of something. And we’ll tell him together. He’s too smart to believe any lie we come up with anyway.”

Liam chuckled. _“You’re right. He is.”_

“Get some sleep, Liam.”

_“Goodnight, Lindsey.”_

 

~~~

 

Derek lay awake, Isabel in his arms, listening to the rain and watching it roll down the window. With the dead pool shut down, he no longer had to worry about losing Isabel to an assassin, but he still worried about leaving her behind. His name had unlocked part of list and he was certain Lydia was predicting his death because of whatever Kate had done to him. He’d lost count of how many times he’d almost died, from being attacked by Peter at the school to falling two stories after fighting with other Alphas. But he didn’t have Isabel then. He really didn’t have anyone then. Derek knew how much Isabel had been through and he didn’t want to put her through more, although he felt slightly better knowing she wouldn’t truly be alone now that her father was back from the dead. The alarm suddenly started to go off, waking Isabel, and they both turned towards the alarm panel. They both climbed out of bed, Derek grabbing the handgun from the dresser, Isabel flicking out her talons. Derek had learned much from Braeden and was quietly checking all the entry points. Isabel noticed shadows under the door and motioned at it. They both approached the door. Isabel nodded and Derek yanked it open, immediately bringing the gun up. Only to find a zoned out Lydia had tripped the security system. The two looked at one another before Lydia took a deep breath and screamed.

 

~~~

 

“Talk to me, Dad!” Malia had been trying to drag out of Peter what was going on with him. “You’ve avoided everyone since the incident with Devin.”

“Malia,” Peter sighed. “You want me to talk to you? Then you need to know that it was my coma addled brain that came up with the idea.”

“What?”

“Meredith got the idea from me. We shared a hospital room right after the fire. Apparently, she took the ravings of a grief-stricken and angry madman as instructions on how to get vengeance on everyone,” Peter rubbed the back of his neck. “I had no idea until I looked into her memories and saw that she’d heard everything that was going on in my head,” He shook his head. “Maybe Stiles is right. Maybe I just am a psychopath.”

“You’re not a psychopath. You’re just a work in progress.”

Peter gave a chuckle at hearing his daughter use his own words against him. “Your faith in me might be misplaced. Something is going on with me, I just haven’t figured out what it is yet. But after today, I’m sure I’ve lost everyone’s trust again.”

“Don’t say that.”

“Malia, the dead pool was my fault. I’m the bad guy once again.”

“I don’t care what you say. You’re not the bad guy. And I’ll keep defending you until you prove yourself the bad guy again.”

“I think I already did.”

“No, you didn’t! So a banshee heard your ravings seven years ago, doesn’t make you the bad guy. You almost killed Devin, still doesn’t make you the bad guy.”

“How in holy hell does that not make me the bad guy?”

“Because you’re my dad,” Malia stood and grabbed her bag. “Stiles promised to help me study before school,” She slung the bag over her shoulder and kissed Peter’s forehead. “I’ll see you later.”

 

~~~

 

Devin sat on the side of his bed in a cold sweat, rubbing his face. He’d predicted so many deaths, but this one? He didn’t know how to tell Isabel. Or the pack in general. It would happen where this whole mess started, and Devin knew he wouldn’t be able to stop it. No amount of magic or careful planning would prevent this death. A part of him didn’t want to tell Isabel, but the other part felt she needed to know. This whole ordeal was already hell on her, Devin really didn’t want to add to that with the knowledge that someone close to her was going to die. Someone she shared so much with.

“Devin?” Lilith’s hand rested on his bare shoulder from behind him. “What’s wrong?”

“I had another premonition. I’ve seen… I’ve seen another death. And I don’t think any of us can stop it. Not like the others.”

“Who?” Devin didn’t answer. Lilith placed her hand on his cheek. “Devin? Why are you saying we can’t save them?”

“Because he’s going to die to save another. He’s going to die at the temple.”

“Who is going to die?”

 

~~~

 

Derek was surprised to see Scott at his door with a duffle bag. “Am I going to expect a visit from the whole pack one at a time today?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Lydia showed up last night and banshee screamed in our faces.”

“What? Why?”

Derek quirked a brow. “Do you really need to ask that question?”

“Oh, right.”

Derek pointed at the duffle bag. “What’s with the bag?”

“Uh,” Derek stepped aside as Scott took the bag off his shoulder. “After Violet tried to kill me, I found this in Garrett’s locker.” Isabel walked out of the area where the bathroom was at the moment Scott opened the bag to reveal it was full of cash. “I… I’m bringing it back to you.”

Derek sat on the couch before pushing the money away. “Okay.”

“Don’t you wanna know why it took so long for me to return it?”

“How much do you make at the animal clinic?”

“Minimum wage.”

“That’s why.” Isabel snorted a laugh at the confused look on Scott’s face. “Everyone can be tempted, Scott. Even a True Alpha.”

“You’re not angry?”

“It’s not even mine. It belongs to Peter.”

“He might be the one that’s angry,” Isabel added. “We just won’t tell him you’ve had it the whole time.”

Derek smirked.

“Where’s your money?” Scott asked, unable to hold back his curiosity.

Derek motioned to the floor. “You’re standing on it.”

Scott looked down for a few minutes, before he looked back up, amazement on his face. “There’s another vault?” Isabel laughed at the same amazement in his voice.

Derek laughed as well. “No. I own the building. And I have my own bank accounts. I’m not just living off the inheritance from my family and the settlement from the fire. I also own my own consulting business. All the money from the vault was Peter’s.” Derek stood and closed the bag, signaling they were done talking about it. Scott didn’t move.

“There’s something else, isn’t there?” Isabel asked.

“Deaton and Lilith are still working on figuring out what Kate did to you. If anyone can find an answer, it’s Deaton. Maybe Lilith, being a witch.”

“You told him about Lydia, didn’t you?”

“I did,” Derek replied. “Scott, I get that you’re trying to help. But unless Lilith can figure out what spell Kate used and knows a counterspell, they might be wasting their time.”

“Derek.” He could hear the concern and worry in Isabel’s voice.

“We’ll figure things out, but if they can’t counter what Kate did…,” Derek trailed off.

“Then Lydia’s prediction comes true,” Scott finished.

“Then let’s hope Deaton and Lilith figure this out,” Isabel said. She waved her hands towards Scott. “You need to go to school. Get out of here.”

“Yes, Mom,” Scott said with a smirk, drawing a chuckle out of Derek.

“Shut up.”

 

After Scott left, Derek finished zipping the bag and dropped it on the floor next to the couch. “I don’t have to be a wolf to know something’s up.”

“I’m terrified of losing you,” Isabel admitted. “Kate was after the Eye at first, but what is she after now? Why is she still here?”

“I don’t know,” Derek sighed. “I wish I knew why she wanted me dead. Why she’s stolen my power.”

“Lilith said she’s a shape-shifting witch. Maybe your power gives her more power.”

“That’s a scary thought.”

“I know.”

 

~~~

 

“Hey, Sean,” Lindsey called, grabbing her car keys. “I’m heading to Liam’s.”

“Do I need to give you the birds and the bees talk?” Sean asked, fully intending on teasing his sister.

“Why?”

“See when two people love each other very much…”

“Oh my God, Sean!” Sean laughed at the look on Lindsey’s face. “You are not giving me the sex talk right now!”

“Are you sure? I don’t know if Mom was able to give it to you.”

“If I need the talk, I’ll ask Melissa, not you.”

“You’re ruining my fun.”

“Good!” Sean laughed again. “You should have seen the look on your face.”

Lindsey punched his arm. “Ass.”

“But you still love me.” Lindsey laughed this time. “What are you two doing, anyway?”

“We owe Mason an explanation for what’s been going on, especially after what happened at the bonfire. I told Liam I would be there with him when he told him the truth.”

“Hopefully, Mason won’t be too mad.”

“It’s not like we're bringing him to a warehouse and showing him a supernatural creature we kidnapped,” Lindsey waved at her brother. “Love you, Sean.”

“Okay, that wasn’t fair! Love you, too, you brat.” Lindsey smiled as she left the house, heading to Liam’s. Mason was coming over as well and Liam wanted to tell him the truth.

 

Liam’s mother answered the door. “Hi, Lindsey,” she greeted with a smile.

“Hi, Mrs. Geyer.”

“He’s upstairs with Mason.”

“Thanks.” Lindsey started to head towards the stairs.

“By the way, how is your brother doing?”

“Oh, he’s doing great. Back to normal.”

“That’s good to hear,” Mrs. Geyer said with a smile. “Go have fun.” Lindsey went upstairs and could hear Liam and Mason talking.

“I know something’s going on,” Mason said. “And I know you don’t want to talk about it. But you’re still my best friend. And considering the last good friend I made turned out to be a professional killer, I’m thinking that I don’t have too many options for new ones.”

“I need to talk about it, I know,” Liam said. “I just… I just don’t know how to tell you.”

“Tell me what? I’m pretty sure you’re not an assassin.”

“No, I’m just a monster.”

“You’re not a monster, Liam,” Lindsey said from the doorway. “We’ve been over this.”

“Why does he think he’s a monster?” Mason asked. “Just because he’s an ass doesn’t make him a monster.”

“Ghee, thanks,” Liam said half-heartedly.

Lindsey sat next to Liam, taking his hand. “How about I go first?” she said. “I’ll open the conversation.”

Liam nodded. “Okay.”

“You two are acting weirder than normal.”

“Mason, we owe you an explanation for why we destroyed school property at the bonfire.”

Mason nodded. “Yeah you do. Because you, Scott, and Danny seemed to be pretty adamant about the music needing to be stopped.”

“Look, there are things out there that shouldn’t exist. Like werewolves and daemons.”

“You mean demons?”

“No, I mean daemons. They’re creatures that have a natural immunity to everything. They’re nature based.”

“So what does that have to do with us destroying a generator?”

“Because the DJ was using a frequency only certain people could hear. Because they were professional killers. Like Garrett and Violet.”

“Wait, is that why Liam and the others were fall down drunk one minute and fine the next?”

“Pretty much.”

“Dude!” Mason turned to Liam. “You’re a werewolf, aren’t you?”

“Uh…,” Liam looked at Lindsey. “Maybe?”

“Liam.” Lindsey gave her boyfriend a look.

“And you knew?” Mason turned his scrutiny onto Lindsey.

“Because I was there the night he was bitten.”

“Dude!”

Lindsey held her hands up. “Inside voice.”

“Are you a werewolf too?”

“Daemon.”

“So what do you do? Control plants?”

“I actually have no freaking clue what a daemon can do aside from being immune to poison and disease and hide the fact that I am one from the creatures that can sense other supernaturals.”

“That’s awesome!”

Lindsey looked at Liam, who was smirking now. “He’s taking this a lot better than I thought he would.”

“Tell me everything!”


	38. Disappearance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three members of the pack go missing, causing the others to scramble to find out what happened to them

Isaac, Danny, Stiles, and Liam headed towards the locker room.

“Where’s Scott and Kira?” Isaac asked.

“At Derek’s,” Stiles answered.

“Why are they at Derek’s?” Danny asked.

“Scott wanted to take Kira on a date since they haven’t really had a date. So Derek told him he could use the loft.”

“Let’s hope they didn’t use his bed,” Isaac snickered.

“Dude!”

Danny laughed.

“But he’ll be here right?” Liam asked.

“He’ll be here,” Stiles sighed as they walked into the locker room. “I got a text from him this morning. He said he might be a little late.”

“Well, how late is late? Is he always late?”

“Not always,” Isaac said. “Usually it’s Stiles.”

“You’re not helping,” Stiles said, giving the beta a look.

“We’re playing Devenford Prep again and this time it’s an actual game. He… He shouldn’t be late.”

Isaac put a hand on Liam’s shoulder. “Liam—”

Coach cut him off. “Who shouldn’t be late?” Stiles looked at Liam and he sighed.

“Scott and Kira,” Liam said, sullenly.

“They might be slightly late,” Stiles added.

“Slightly late is still late. What are they doing?” The boys looked at each other, none of them really wanting to tell Coach what they assumed the two were doing.

“They’re, uh…,” Stiles started. “Doing something that’s going to make them slightly late.”

“What could Scott and Kira be doing right now that’s more important than them playing in the first game?” The boys looked at each other again.

“Should we give him a hint or wait until he’s older?” Isaac asked. Danny’s lip quivered from him trying not to laugh.

“Oh, Coach.”

Coach seemed to realize what they were hinting at and all emotion drained from his face. “Oh.”

 

~~~

 

Isaac pulled Liam aside. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

“You know I can hear your heartbeat.”

Liam sighed. “Scott’s not here.”

“There’s more to it than Scott not being here. If you’re worried about tomorrow night, you shouldn’t be.” Liam glanced up at the moon. “You haven’t learned to anchor yet, have you?”

Liam shook his head. “It’s easier to stay on control on the field when Scott’s there.”

“I got an idea,” He turned Liam around. “I want you to look in the crowd.” Liam did as Isaac suggested, before seeing Lindsey and Mason. Lindsey saw him looking and gave a smile before waving. “If you start to feel like you’re losing control on the field, focus on her. Let her be your anchor for at least tonight.”

Liam looked back at Isaac. “What’s your anchor?”

“The memory of my father before he started to abuse me.” Isaac put a hand on the freshman’s shoulder. “Come on. I’m sure Scott and Kira will be here. Let’s just focus on the game and kicking Davenport’s ass.”

 

~~~

 

“If you’re going after Kate, you’ll need someone to back you up,” Sean said.

“She won’t hurt me if we come face to face,” Chris said.

“She kicked both of our asses. Twice. I think you might want to rethink that statement.”

“She also called off the berserker before it killed me. Family is important to her. She won’t kill me.” Chris turned to Sean. “Has the others told you about what happened when a flock of Dark Valkyries came after Isabel?”

“A lot of the pack just about died before Rafe was able to kill Isabel’s brother.”

“Including me. Kate put aside her hatred for the supernatural and allowed Derek to teach her how to draw out pain and Isabel to use her blood to heal me. Together they saved my life. I truly don’t believe that she would kill me or let her berserkers kill me.”

“I don’t have that same faith in her.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“At least tell me where you’re going.”

Chris held up the bone weapon Scott has used to track the berserkers when they were looking for Violet. “I had Stilinski run an analysis on this. There were traces of calcium hydroxide on it. It’s used by water treatment plants as an anti-corrosive.”

“The sewers?” Sean asked. “She’s hiding in the sewers like every other cliché bad guy?”

“If it’ll make you better, I’ll call once I leave the sewers.”

“I’d feel better if I could go with you.”

“I have a better chance of getting anything out of her alone. Just trust me. I’ll update you when I get back.” Sean watched as Chris left. He wasn’t a supernatural creature, but he had a very bad feeling that everything was not going to be fine.

 

~~~

 

The pack was sitting together in the stands, watching the game. Mason and Lindsey flinched each time a member of Brett’s team would slam into a Beacon Hills player, namely Stiles, since he seemed to be their target.

“Okay, that one looked like it hurt,” Lindsey said.

“Yeah.” Devin and Lilith sat behind Stilinski, Malia, and Peter. Lilith really didn’t understand the game, having never watched it before.

Devin’s brows furrowed as he noticed something. “Where’s Scott and Kira?”

“Probably still at the loft on their date,’ Lilith responded. “Why?”

Devin shook his head. “Scott’s the team captain. He’s always at the games. And Kira is also on the team. I doubt the two would pass over a game for their date as important as lacrosse is to this town.” Now Lilith frowned. The whistle blew signaling the end of the quarter. While Coach threw a fit on the sidelines, Stiles made a beeline to his father.

“Dad, something’s not right. Scott texted me this morning and said he would be late to the game. It’s not like him to just not show up. I think something has happened.”

“Want me to stay here in case he shows up?” Malia asked.

“Yeah.”

“I’m coming with you,” Lilith insisted.

“Alright.” Stiles left with Stilinski and Lilith, while the others stayed behind.

“What’s going on?” Lindsey asked.

“I don’t know,” Devin answered. “Scott and Kira not showing up has Stiles worried."

“Have you seen anything?”

Devin shook his head. “Nothing about Scott.” Lindsey looked at him, having a feeling that Devin had seen something, but he just wasn’t ready to share. Mason looked at Lindsey, confused.

“I’ll explain in a bit.”

Mason nodded, understanding.

“Dunbar! Lahey!” Coach screamed. “Asses on the field!” Lindsey bit her lip. The two didn’t look like they were very focused on the game and now she wondered if it was because of Scott being missing, not tomorrow’s full moon. The two ran out to the field, Lindsey hoping that Scott and Kira just lost track of time and nothing had actually happened to them.

 

~~~

 

“Daniel?”

The older Valkyrie looked up at the young werewolf. “Brett, how was the game?”

“We won, but Scott wasn’t there. Isaac and I had to get Liam to focus on the game. After the game, they told me that he never showed up at all.”

“Are you saying Scott is missing?”

“Isaac believes so. Daniel, he saved my life when Violet tried to kill me. And then his pack saved all of us. I don’t know what to do.”

“I can’t stand aside knowing Scott is missing,” Daniel headed towards the door. “If Satomi asks, I’m helping my daughter’s pack.”

 

~~~

 

“First Scott, now Chris?” Parrish asked. Sean had come to him worried that Chris wasn’t answering his phone.

“What do you mean?” Sean asked, concerned.

“Scott and Kira didn’t show up at the game tonight, which according to Stiles and Isaac, isn’t like them at all.”

“So Scott and Kira are missing too?”

“Seems like it.”

Sean shook his head. “I knew I should have went with Chris, but he was sure he could do it alone.”

“What was he doing?”

“He had a lead on Kate. He thought she was hiding out like the villain she is in the sewers.”

Parrish raised a brow. “The sewers? Really?”

Sean shrugged. “Just what he said.”

“How long has he been gone?”

“A couple hours maybe. He left before the game.” Sean glanced around before lowering his voice. “I don’t know anything about hellhounds, so I don’t know if…”

“I know his scent,” Parrish interrupted, knowing what he was about to ask. “I should be able to pick up his scent.”

“Oh, nice.”

“I’m going to get out of my uniform and I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

 

~~~

 

Daniel walked into the lobby of the sheriff’s station and nearly ran into Sean and a hellhound.

“Uh… Dominic?” It took Sean a moment to remember his name. “What are you doing here?”

“Daniel,” he corrected, having stopped using his alias now that he knew for a fact Kenton was dead. “And Brett told me how it’s believed that Scott is missing. I came to offer my help.”

“Scott and Kira are missing. Right now, we’re about to go look for Chris. We think Kate has done something to him, and if we’re going to find Scott and Kira, we might just need his help.”

“I assume that’s why you’re bringing the hellhound?”

“Valkyrie?” the hellhound asked.

Daniel looked at him. “How did you know?”

“Aside from the fact that we just met and I don’t know you from Adam, the only way you would know I’m a hellhound is you sensed it. And the only creature I know that can do that is a Valkyrie,” He held his hand out. “Jordan Parrish.”

“Daniel Evans,” Daniel shook his hand. “If we’re going to find Chris, we need to go now.”

 

~~~

 

Isabel and Derek stepped out of the elevator and the Valkyrie frowned.

“I take it they’re not still here?” Derek asked.

“I sense nothing.” Derek opened the door and they both just stared at the damage to the loft.

“Why is my place always where everyone wants to fight?” Derek asked after a moment. The two descended into the loft. The window looked like something had jumped through it, glass and wood all over the floor. Some of the furniture was broken, chairs thrown across the room.

“I’m going to take a wild guess here and say a berserker or two caused all this.”

“You might not be wrong.” Stilinski, Stiles, and Lilith walked into the loft at that moment, Lilith’s eyes widening.

“What the hell happened?” Stiles asked.

“It was supposed to be a date,” Derek said. “I told Scott he could use the loft for his date with Kira.”

“They were both here?”

“And they’re both gone,” Isabel added.

Lilith looked over towards Derek. “May I?” “If you have a spell that can help, feel free to use it,” he said.

Lilith stepped forwards and cast her spell. Her eyes seemed to be focused on things they couldn’t see. “Beserkers,” she said, her voice seeming distant. “Two of them. Kate was here with them. I don’t know her plan but she believes that Scott was the cause of the Argents fall. She said they were going to church.” Lilith blinked a couple of times and shook her head.

“Is that what I think it means?” Derek asked.

“La Iglesia,” Isabel said.


	39. Road Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack plans a road trip to Mexico while Sean, Parrish, and Daniel try to save Chris.

“You are not going to Mexico,” Stilinski said, firmly.

“Dad, Scott and Kira have been kidnapped and taken to Mexico, okay?” Stiles argued. “I think that’s a pretty good reason for a trip to Mexico.”

Stilinski went around his desk, reminding himself that it was illegal to murder his only son. “Even if Lilith is right about this, the best thing to do is go through the proper channels.”

“Dad...”

“That means calling the right law enforcement agencies, border patrol, putting out an all-points.”

“Dad, I can’t just wait around for the wheels of bureaucracy to start spinning in five different government offices. Okay? Someone needs to go down there right now, find them and rescue them.” Stiles looked his father in the eye. “I’m going.”

Stilinski gave him a look. “I can keep you from going.”

“I’d find a way.”

“I can throw you in a cell.”

“I’d still find a way.”

Stilinski sighed. “Stiles, please. Just give me a little more time to verify something slightly more concrete than a vision from a witch’s spell. I’m not even sure why we’re trusting her word on this.”

“Because she’s with Devin.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly how I said it.”

Stilinski decided to drop the subject. “Look, I will call every law enforcement agency all the way down to South America if I have to. If nothing turns up, I’ll book two flights to Mexico. We’ll both go, okay?”

Stiles nodded. “Okay.”

“Now get out of here and let me do my job.” Stiles left the office and Lindsey met him in the lobby.

“He wants to go through the legit channels,” Stiles informed her.

“So Plan B?”

“Plan B.”

 

~~~

 

“Braeden is going to meet us at the airfield outside of town,” Isabel said.

Derek was leaning over the table, the gun Braeden had given him when he lost his powers laying on it. She put a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t like having to rely on this thing,” he said. “I don’t like feeling helpless, like I have to hide behind you.”

“Have you met Stiles?” Isabel asked with a smirk. “When has he ever stayed behind? He’s usually right in the middle of everything.”

Derek gave a scoff of a laugh. “Good point. But I’m pretty sure he’s a better shot than me.”

“This is about Lydia’s predictions, isn’t it? You don’t think you’re coming back?”

“Not alive.”

“I’m not okay with that.”

“I know, but when have we been able to disrupt a Banshee’s predictions.”

“He’s right, you know?” Devin said from the doorway. The two looked up as he and Lilith walked into the loft.

“About what?”

“You need to know that someone isn’t going to come back from this. Someone isn’t walking out of La Iglesia.”

“What is it with you withholding important information?”

“Because you had enough to worry about.”

Derek put his hand over Isabel’s. “We knew this was coming, Isabel.”

“There has to be a way to prevent it. You’ve seen Derek’s death before. We were able to keep that from coming to pass then.”

“A Banshee wasn’t predicting it either,” Devin argued.

“If it saves Scott and Kira,” Derek said. “I’m willing to let their predictions happen.”

“I’m definitely not okay with that,” Isabel said.

Derek took her face in his hands, putting his forehead against hers. “I know, but Scott would do the same for us.” Isabel couldn’t argue with that.

“If we’re going up against Berserkers, we’re going to need everyone,” Lilith said.

“I’m worried about Liam not having control,” Devin said. “This is his second full moon and I’m not sure he’s mastered control yet.”

“I might have an idea on how to help with that,” Derek said. “If we’re going to have any sort of chance against the Berserkers, we need a few things from the vault.”

 

~~~

 

Sean, Parrish, and Daniel stepped out of Parrish’s SUV and the Deputy stopped.

“What is it?” Sean asked.

“I’ve caught Chris’ scent,” Parrish said, before furrowing his eyebrows. “But Peter’s been here as well.”

“Well, this just got interesting.”

“Come on.” The three descended into the sewers, Daniel suddenly flicking out his talons, while Parrish drew his sidearm.

“I smell blood,” Daniel informed Sean, prompting him to draw his own firearm. Parrish led the way down, giving a loud curse once he went around a corner.

“They’re gone,” Chris managed to say. Sean repeated the curse when he saw that Chris was pinned to the wall with a curved rebar like a specimen in a butterfly collector’s display.

“How long have you been like this?” Daniel asked as Parrish examined the rebar with his flashlight.

“I’m not sure.” Chris looked to be in bad shape, blood pooling at his feet. “I might have blacked out a few times.”

“No shit,” Sean muttered. “We need to get him to a hospital.”

“Peter do this?” Parrish asked.

“How did you know?” Chris asked.

“I can smell him here.”

“Parrish, listen. Don’t worry about me. Kate’s going after Scott. Kate and Peter. I think Kate has control of Peter. You need to warn him.”

“I think Kate already has Scott,” Daniel said. “He and Kira are missing.”

“Then you need to go after them. My guess is they’re going back to Mexico. To the temple where Kate’s power will be strongest.”

“We’re not leaving you like this,” Sean argued.

“Scott is more important.”

“We’re getting you out of here,” Daniel said. “We’re not going to leave you here.”

 

~~~

 

“We can’t just leave him behind, Stiles,” Lindsey argued.

“He’s been a werewolf all of five minutes,” Stiles argued back. “I really don’t want to get all the way to Mexico and have your boyfriend rip my throat out.”

“He wants to help! How many times have you been told you couldn’t help because you’re human, huh? And how many times did you help anyway?”

“She has you on that,” Isaac said.

“Nobody asked you.”

“Nobody made you Alpha either.”

“Are you taking their side on this?”

“We need all the help we can get, Stiles! We need Liam.”

“Guys, I’m standing right here,” Liam reminded them. The whole argument started when Liam showed up at Scott’s house while Malia was finding something with a stronger scent in order to track their Alpha. “Can’t you just chain me down in the back seat or something?”

“You broke out of those last time,” Malia reminded him.

“We would have to freeze you in carbonite to get you down there,” Stiles said.

“Where do we find some carbonite?” Liam asked. Lindsey and Isaac couldn’t help it and burst into laughter while Stiles just looked at him. Malia looked between them, confused.

“Have you seriously not seen it either?”

“Not everyone is a geek like you,” Lindsey said.

“There has to be a way to get me down there! Lock me in the trunk if you have to!”

“You’d get out of that, too,” Malia said.

“Liam, you don’t have to do this,” Stiles said. “You can stay here and ride out the full moon and hopefully not kill someone.”

“I know I don’t have to, but I want to. I need to.”

“Wait a minute,” Isaac suddenly said. “I might have an idea on how to get him to Mexico.”

“What?”

“We do to him like you did to Jackson.”

Stiles paused. “That’s actually not a bad idea,” He pulled his phone out. “I’ll call Braeden.”

 

~~~

 

Everyone met at the old airfield, Braeden pulling in with a US Marshal’s transport van.

“How did you manage to get a prison transport van?” Isaac asked.

Braeden held the US Marshal badge up that was hanging around her neck. “This ain’t a fake. I’m an actual US Marshal.”

“I actually thought that was just a cover.”

Braeden only smiled.

“Are we sure about bringing Liam?” Derek asked.

“Are we sure about bringing Peter?” Stiles shot back.

“We’re bringing everyone we can,” Peter sighed as Devin and Lilith shut the doors on Devin’s Aspen. “And considering Scott and Kira were taken the night before a full moon, we should probably get going.”

“He’s right,” Lilith said. “The full moon will only make Kate stronger.”

Peter pointed at Lilith. “If our little witch over there is correct and Kate took Scott back to the same temple she took Derek, how do we know she’s not planning on doing the same thing to him?”

“I don’t see what advantage that would give her,” Isabel said. “Scott’s already a teenager. She’d have to reverse him to a kid,” she paused. “A kid that thought werewolves were a myth.”

“She’ll take his power as well,” Lilith added. “And Alpha’s power will make even stronger. If that is why she took him.”

“A werewolf can’t steal a True Alpha’s power. But maybe a nagual jaguar, with the power of Tezcatlipoca behind her…”

“Along with a few well-placed spells,” Lilith injected.

“It’s looking bleaker for Scott by the second,” Peter looked around at the others. “So, if everyone is sufficiently freaked out, I say we get going.”

“We can’t,” Stiles said. “Not without Lydia.”

“Where _is_ Lydia?” Devin asked.

“At the school with Danny getting something from Kira’s locker so we can track her, too,” Lindsey said.

Malia held up Kira’s katana. “This doesn’t have a strong enough scent.”

“She’ll have to catch up,” Braeden said.

Peter pointed at her. “That’s a good point. We can call her from the road.”

“What if they’re in trouble?” Stiles asked.

“Fine. You stay, you find her. We’re gonna go on without you.”

“Peter’s right,” Isabel said. “The longer we wait, the sooner Kate can do whatever she planned on doing to Scott."

“I can call Mason,” Liam offered. “He has a study group at school. He can look for them.”

“What are you planning on telling him?” Isaac asked.

“He knows the truth,” Lindsey said. “He’ll tell him the truth.”

“Fine.”

 

It was decided that Braeden would drive the transport van, while Isabel would ride shotgun. Derek, Stiles, Liam, and Lindsey would ride in the back of it. Peter would drive the Cruiser with Malia while Devin would drive his Aspen with Lilith and Isaac in tow. Everyone started heading to their vehicles.

“Remember what we’re dealing with here,” Peter said. “It’s not just Kate, It’s Berserkers. You might see human eyes behind those skulls. Do not assume there is any humanity left. You do not fight Berserkers to survive, you fight to kill.”

 

~~~

 

Parrish and Daniel tried to straighten the rebar so they could pull Chris off it, but the movement seemed to be causing more pain then they intended to cause, judging how badly Chris was screaming.

“This isn’t working,” Sean said.

“Leave,” Chris whispered, weakly. “You have to find Scott before Kate and Peter either kill him or do something to him. Please.”

“We said we weren’t going to leave you,” Daniel said. He looked at Parrish. “You don’t happen to have the ability to take away pain, do you?”

“At this moment, I wish I did.”

“Chris, if we’re going to get you out of here,” Sean said, wracking his mind for ideas. “You need to focus on something to take your mind off the pain. Like… like the wolves do on the full moon. Focus on something that anchors you.”

“I’ve got nothing.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Daniel said. Chris looked the Valkyrie in the eye and he could see complete defeat and hopelessness in his eyes. It was a look of a man who truly believed he had nothing left to live for.

Parrish put a hand on Chris’ shoulder. “Would Allison have wanted you to just give up and die?” Chris’ attention turned to the Deputy, Sean raising a brow at the weapon he chose to use. “I know how she felt about Scott. I know what she did to save the pack. And I know she would do everything in her power to get the hell out of here and go help him.”

The look on Chris’ face changed. “You didn’t even know her, Jordan.”

“I know enough. And I know your daughter would never give up and she would never let you give up. So you honor her sacrifice by focusing on her and what she meant to you, and get the hell out of here and save the pack she died to protect.” Chris’ nostrals flared despite the tears at the thought of his daughter. Parrish’s eyes glowed fiery orange and he pulled on the bar, fully using his hellhound strength. The anger Chris had kept bottled up over the death of his only child was enough to give him the strength to pull himself off the bar before he collapsed on the floor. Daniel immediately sliced his forearm open, using the healing properties of his blood on Chris’ wound. He wasn’t sure if he’d been able to continue on had their places been reversed. If he had lost Isabel to her brother or to the assassins trying to cash in on the dead pool. Daniel’s respect for Chris had increased greatly.


	40. Return to Mexico

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack searches for Scott and Kira, while Isabel and Braeden stay with a badly injured Derek. Chris and Parrish bring reinforcements.

“Are those going to hold him?” Stiles asked as Derek fitted the handcuffs around Liam’s wrists and the young wolf tested them. “I mean, I handcuffed Scott to a radiator and he still got out.”

“You taunting him didn’t help,” Derek said. Lindsey raised a brow.

“What makes you think I was taunting him?”

“He told me, Stiles. He told me why he lost control like he did, you idiot.” Derek reached into his jacket pocket, bringing out the triskilion medallion. “I brought something to help you. “This has been with my family for centuries. It’s a very powerful, supernatural talisman.” Stiles just looked at him, knowing the thing was a piece of junk. Isabel was glad she wasn’t facing Liam, as she was biting her lip to keep from smiling. “We use it to teach Betas how to control themselves on a full moon.” He handed it to Liam and he took it. “When you start to feel yourself losing control, you repeat the mantra ‘Alpha, Beta, Omega,’ Got it?”

Liam nodded before looking at Lindsey.

“It’ll work, Liam,” she assured him.

 

~~~

 

The full moon started to rise and Liam began to feel the effects.

“Liam, now!” Lindsey said. “Say the mantra now!”

“Alpha. Beta. Omega,” Liam started repeating the mantra, clutching the medallion. He kept repeating it, but there seemed to be no effect.

“Focus on the words,” Derek said. “Tell yourself you’re getting calmer.”

“Alpha. Beta. Omega.” Liam’s voice seemed to grow deeper.

“Uh, Derek,” Stiles said. “I don’t think that powerful talisman of self-control is working.” Liam started to fight the restraints, causing the van to rock and Braeden to struggle to control the vehicle.

“Liam!” Derek yelled. Liam broke free and immediately went after Derek.

“Whoa!” Stiles screamed.

“Derek!” Isabel cried as Derek struggled to keep Liam back.

“I think we need to go a little faster!”

“Liam!” Lindsey screamed. Liam looked like he was trying to rip Derek’s face off. She pulled Stiles out of the way, having an idea. She grabbed him by the face and turned him to face her. “What three things cannot be long hidden?” Liam snarled. “Say it, Liam! What three things cannot be long hidden?”

“The sun, the moon, the truth.”

“What three things cannot be long hidden?”

“The sun, the moon, the truth.” As they repeated the mantra together, Derek noticed that Lindsey’s eyes had started to glow a dark green. Liam could feel himself growing calmer as if some sort of calming energy was flowing through him.

“I think we know what daemons can do now,” Derek commented once Liam was in complete control.

Lindsey looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“You were putting out an aura of calmness,” Isabel said. “Not to mention your eyes glowed while you were doing that.” Braeden put the van in park, as they had reached their destination while Lindsey helped bring Liam under control.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Liam confirmed. “It was kinda cool.”

“Are you in control now?”

In response, Liam flicked out his claws. “Yeah.”

“Good,” Derek responded.

“We might be able to do this,” Stiles commented. Derek stood and went and opened the door. Only to be greeted by a Berserker. He gave a cry of surprise as he was pulled out of the van and tossed several feet. Isabel and Braeden scrambled out of the van as the Berserker slammed Derek onto a ruined wall and brought his fist down on him. Derek cried out in pain. Braeden shot it several times with her shotgun. Isabel gave a loud Scream that made it takes several steps back. It was Lilith’s force spell that made it retreat.

“Derek!” Isabel was by his side almost instantly. “Oh, God!”

“How bad is it?” Peter asked, worry in his voice.

“I’m fine,” Derek said, his voice saying otherwise. “I’m fine. Just go get Scott.” The others looked at each other. “Just find him. We’ll be right behind you.” Isabel looked up at Devin, who looked horrified. “Go.” No one moved. “Go!” Peter finally took a step back, looking over at his daughter.

“Come on,” Lilith said. “We can still save him.” Devin looked away from Isabel and Derek before nodding. The two followed the wolves, Malia, and Lindsey. Stiles still hesitated.

“Stiles?” Derek looked up at him. “Save him.” Stiles finally turned and headed towards the door, before stopping and looking back again, the look on his face as if he was watching a close friend die. He finally turned and ran after the others. Isabel moved his jacket aside to see the wound better. It was obvious he was going to die if he didn’t receive help. “Lydia was right. Devin was right.”

“No! They’re not going to be right!” Isabel pulled a dagger from the sheath at the back of her belt. Derek grabbed her wrist. “Let me save you!”

“Isabel, I’m too far gone.”

“No! I’m not going to let you give up! I refuse to let you give up!” Tears were blurring Isabel’s vision. “Please, Derek!”

Derek put a hand on her cheek. “It’s okay, Isabel.” They heard the low growl of a Berserker.

“Guys,” Braeden said. “We have company.”

 

~~~

 

“Mason?” Danny gently shook the freshman. “Come on, Mason.” Mason gave a gasp and sat up, looking around, seeing they were in the basement.

“Are you okay?” Lydia asked.

“My head…,” Mason complained.

“Yeah, it’s probably going to hurt a lot.”

“There was this guy. Huge. He had a skull on his face.”

“Yeah. We saw it too.”

Mason started patting his pockets. “My phone’s gone.”

“That the point.”

“What’s he going to do to us?”

“I think it just wants to keep us trapped down here,” Danny said.

“Why?” They heard a low growling and all three peeked around the corner. “What is that thing?”

“Not human,” Lydia answered.

“Like werewolf not human?”

“That thing is definitely not a werewolf,” Danny said.

“Wait you know about werewolves?” Lydia asked.

“Yeah. Recently found out that my best friend is a werewolf and his girlfriend is a demon.”

“Daemon,” Danny corrected. “She’s a daemon.”

“Right. Daemon.”

“We need to get out of here,” Lydia said.

“There’s only one way out on this side of the basement.”

“I know but if don’t get out of here, someone is going to die.”

“How do you know that?”

“Have you ever heard of a Banshee?” Danny asked.

“Yeah, they predict death… oh.”

“If we don’t get out of here, _we_ might be the ones she’s predicting,” Danny said. He peeked around the corner again. “And of course, it’s blocking the only way out.”

“What do we do?”

“I… I don’t know. These things can take out werewolves and Valkyries. We don’t stand a chance.”

 

~~~

 

Peter led the way through the temple before suddenly coming to a stop. “Wait! Stop!” he said. “We gotta figure out where we are, then we gotta figure out how to find Scott and Kira.”

“We don’t need to be running blindly,” Devin agreed. Stiles’ phone suddenly went off.

“How do I even have service?” he asked. He answered the phone. “Hi, Dad.”

Peter looked at him with his arms out. “What…?”

 _“Where the holy hell are you, Stiles?!”_ Stilinski all but screamed.

“Okay, I know you’re angry.”

_“Oh, I’m beyond angry. I’ve reached a level of fury that you could not possibly comprehend.”_

“Okay, well, when I get back you can ground me.”

 _“Ground you? Ground you?! I’m going to hobble you!”_ Stilinski sighed. _“Now, please, tell me you’re alright. Tell me that you’re safe.”_

“Do you want me to lie to you?”

_“Oh, God! Okay, tell me, tell me what I can do. How can I help?”_

“You can find Lydia and Danny. They were at the school when we called Mason to look for them, but now we’re not hearing back from any of them. I don’t know, Dad. I don’t know what I’m doing. You know, I’m just trying to save my friends.”

_“Okay. I’ll find Lydia, Danny, and Mason. You get Scott and Kira. You save your friends.”_

“Dad, if it’s one of the Berserkers at the school, you’re gonna need firepower. A lot.”

 _“Thanks for the warning. Now go.”_ Stiles hung up and went back to the others.

“What do we do now?” Liam asked.

Malia glance at him, before her eyes widened and shoved Liam. “Duck!” A Berserker hit the wall where Liam had been standing a split second later.

“Run!” Peter screamed. He led them to what looked like had been the main sanctuary when the place was a church.

Malia tossed Kira’s katana at Stiles. “You and Lindsey go find Kira and Scott!”

“What?” Stiles said.

“My calming aura isn’t going to help against the Berserker,” Lindsey said. “Neither will my crossbow or my .22. Come on!” The two ran the opposite direction, Stiles having the good sense to bring a flashlight.

“Scott!” Stiles called. “Kira!” Lindsey had drawn her .22, despite knowing it wouldn’t do any good against a Berserker. Lindsey saw movement out of the corner of her eye and turned, the pistol raised. She lowered it when she saw it was Kira. Stiles went towards her. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“It’s Scott,” she said, almost panicked, “Stiles, it’s Scott.”

“What?”

“The Berserker. It’s him.”

“Kate turned him into a Berserker?!” Lindsey asked.

“What? How?” Stiles asked.

“Kate doesn’t want his power! She wants us to kill him! We have to warn the others!”

“That’s why Lydia’s not here. She had a Berserker trap her so she couldn’t come and we wouldn’t know we were killing Scott!”

 

~~~

 

Parrish sped after the three Calavera SUVs, Chris in the passenger seat loading his assault rifle. Chris had called Araya and warned her what was going on and where she could find Kate. To everyone’s surprise, she offered to help. They met them on the road to La Iglesia.

“The full moon is going to make Kate stronger,” Chris said.

“How are you holding up?” Parrish asked.

“I’m fine, thanks to Daniel.” Parrish looked in the rear view. Sean was checking his own supply of ammo, giving worried looks to Daniel. The Valkyrie had to cut himself several times before he was satisfied that Chris was going to survive, at the expense of his strength.

“What about you, Daniel?”

“I’m fine.” He pulled his shirt over his head.

“What is it with Valkyries and being shirtless?” Sean asked.

“I don’t own stock in a clothing company,” Daniel responded. “And when they make clothes that will mend themselves, then I’ll stop taking my shirt off before I go into my full form.”

“He’s got a point,” Parrish said. They pulled into the ruins of the town and Daniel climbed out of the window and onto the top of the SUV, extending his snow white wings. Once they pulled to a stop, the Calaveras started shouting and Daniel gave a loud Scream before launching himself into the air. He landed hard between the Berserker and Kate, knocking them both back with the force as the Calaveras, Parrish, Chris, and Sean opened fire.

 

~~~

 

Isabel hadn’t expected to see her father suddenly join the fray, or the sudden army of Hunters to show up. But she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. They were focusing most of their fire of the Berserker, Daniel engaging with Kate, only to have another Berserker charge at him and he barely dodged it. She brought her attention back to Derek.

“I don’t care what you say,” she said. “I’m going to save you.” She sliced open her palm and Derek stopped her again, placing a hand on her cheek.

“It’s okay, Isabel,” he whispered, giving her a smile. “It’ll be okay.” He dropped his hands and closed his eyes.

“Derek. No! No, no, no, no.” She placed her palm against the wound. She felt the wound on her palm close, but not the wound on his chest. “Derek?” She took his face in her hands. “Don’t do this, Derek. Stay with me. Stay with me!”

Braeden rejoined them and checked his pulse. “Isabel…,” she started. “I’m sorry.”

Isabel shook her head. “No,” she sobbed, tears streaming down her face. “No! No! Derek!” She threw her head back and Screamed.


	41. Evolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isabel takes a stand against Kate. Devin tries to save Peter. The pack suffers a loss.

The Scream ripped through the air, carrying all the way to the rest of the pack as they fought the Berserker in the sanctuary. Devin and Lilith glanced at each other, knowing what it meant.

“I’m sorry, Isabel,” he whispered, before he doubled his attacks on the Berserker. The others were coming at him. Isaac ramming into it, sending it towards Liam. Liam punched it in the head, causing it to stagger towards Malia. Malia landed a blow on its stomach. Devin and Peter both landed punches, causing it to stagger. Lilith sent a blast that made it crash against the wall. Isaac and Liam jumped forward as Peter tossed one of their bone weapons to Malia.

“Take him! Aim for the skull!” Malia caught the weapon and she went towards the now struggling Berserker. “Kill him now!” Malia leapt at the Berserker, aiming for the skull like Peter had told her.

 

~~~

 

“What the hell was that?” Kira asked, the loud eagle toned Scream reaching them.

“Oh, no,” Stiles said. “No, no, no, no.”

“What?”

“That was Isabel,” Lindsey said. She looked at Stiles. “Derek.”

“Then we need to honor his last request.” Stiles took off running down the halls.

 

~~~

 

Danny found some baseball bats. “Hey, we can pull a Stiles,” he said.

“Against that thing?” Mason asked. “That’s not going to work.”

“If it doesn’t, I have a more powerful weapon at my disposal,” Lydia reminded them.

“Our friends are in trouble,” Danny said. “Liam and Lindsey are in trouble. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to fight my way out of here to help them. So you can either take a bat and help us or just hide in the corner and do nothing.” Danny and Lydia both took a bat and faced the Berserker. They looked at each other before they started to advance on the Berserker. The Berserker just stood there.

“Ahhhhhhhh!” Mason charged past them, a baseball bat in hand. Danny and Lydia looked at each other before running after Mason. Mason attacked, landing several hits before it threw him back. Mason slid all the way down the hall, hitting the basket they found the bats in. Danny went flying next, landing next to Mason. Lydia managed a few more hits before she joined the boys.

“I thought you said it wanted to keep us here,” Mason said. “Not hurt us.”

“I think it changed its mind,” Lydia said. The Berserker started to come towards them.

“Uh, Plan B!” Danny cried. “Plan B, Lydia!” Lydia took several steps forward, staring down the advancing Berserker.

“Lydia!” Mason cried. Lydia took a deep breath and let a shriek explode from her lungs, focusing her voice on the Berserker. Danny and Mason covered their ears while the Berserker retreated. Once Lydia exhausted her scream, another voice called for the Berserker’s attention.

“Excuse me,” The Berserker turned towards Stilinski. “Catch!” He tossed something at it before booking it down the hall. The teens took cover farther down the hall. A moment later, an explosion rocked the hall. Once everything quieted, everyone came out of hiding. To see the Berserker’s bone armor in pieces and dust where it had been standing.

“I feel sorry for the janitor,” Danny quipped.

“You kids okay?” Stilinski asked. They nodded as Stilinski bent down and picked up the bear skull.

“It was after me,” Lydia said. “It wanted me to stay in Beacon Hills. I think this was all some sort of distraction.”

“Because you knew they’re trying to kill someone,” Stilinski concluded.

“Who?” Mason asked.

“Scott.”

 

~~~

 

“Wait!” Stiles cried. “Wait, Malia! Wait!” Kira leapt forward, slicing the weapon into two. Malia turned towards them, growling.

“It’s Scott!” Lindsey cried. Everyone hesitated and looked at the Berserker. That hesitation was all he needed. He pushed Isaac and Liam off him, the two landing hard. He punched Malia, then turned and went towards Liam. Lilith sent a blast of magic at Scott. Scott only backhanded her. Devin was at her side a moment later.

“Scott!” Isaac cried. Scott ignored him.

Stiles ran forward. “Scott! It’s me!” Scott stopped all of two seconds, before punching him.

“Scott, don’t!” Kira cried as Scott picked up Liam.

“Lilith! Do something!” Lindsey cried.

“I don’t have a spell for this!” Scott pinned Liam against the wall, lifting him up above his head.

“Scott!” Liam cried. “Scott! Listen, listen, listen!” Scott actually hesitated. “You’re not a monster! You’re a werewolf! Like me.” Liam’s words seemed to finally break through the spell Kate had him under, as he released Liam and took a step back. He started to tear the bone armor off of his body. He finally ripped the skull apart with a roar. Scott looked at Peter.

“You,” he said, anger in his voice. “You were helping Kate this entire time.”

“Scott,” Devin started to say. Scott ignored him.

“What did she offer you? What did she promise you?”

“My family’s power back,” Peter growled, squeezing his eyes shut. “You don’t deserve your power,” Peter’s voice deepened as he spoke. “Not power like this.” Peter transformed and roared. Malia roared and started to go after Peter. Devin grabbed her arm and pulled her back. “You were my Beta first, Scott. It was my bite that changed your life,” Devin looked at Lilith. He could see the pain in her eyes, but she nodded, knowing what Devin was going to have to do. “And my bite that can end it.” Peter and Scott roared and leapt at each other.

 

~~~

 

Isabel’s Scream had caused everything to stop, even the Berserkers retreated. The Calaveras stalked around the area, looking for them and Kate. Isabel kissed Derek’s forehead before she stood, pulling her jacket off and revealing the halter top beneath it. She reached up and wrapped her fingers around the Eye of Odin around her neck.

“Give me the strength to stop her slaughter,” she whispered. Someone screamed and the gunfire started again. Isabel’s eyes glowed bright blue and she ran towards Kate the moment she appeared. “Kate!” she screamed. Kate stopped, spinning around and growling. “You and me!”

“Get past my Berserkers first!” Isabel dodged the Berserker, Daniel going to her aid a moment later. Isabel extended her iridescent wings, her body beginning to glow.

“Down!” Sean warned. A moment later, the bright burst of light exploded from Isabel’s body. When it dissipated, the Berserker was a pile of bone and dust. The strength of the Eye kept Isabel from staggering like she usually did. The second Berserker started to charge at Parrish and Sean. Using his wings as a catalyst, Daniel leapt at it, landing next to it, the force throwing it back. Isabel spun around and caught sight of Araya approaching Kate.

“You’re next, Araya!” Kate looked over at Araya. “I’m coming to kill you next.”

Araya flicked out a cattle prod. “Come, La Loba. Let me show you how the Calaveras die.” Kate roared and started to charge at Araya. Isabel jumped between the two, beating her wings and sending Kate flying backward.

“No one else dies because of you, Kate!” Isabel all but snarled. Araya’s eyebrows rose at the wings coming from Isabel’s back. She knew now why the wolfsbane hadn’t affected her all that time ago. She’d assumed she was a wolf, but that was far from the truth.

“Do you really think you can beat me? Do you really think you can kill me without going Dark?”

“I can kill you to protect the pack.”

“Your Alpha is dead. Your boyfriend is dead. And when I get done with you, I’ll kill the rest of your little pack.” Kate roared and Isabel Screamed. The two charged at each other, crashing into each other in a flurry of claws, talons, and wings. Kate snarled as she and Isabel fought. Until the lone howl sounded. All the fighting stopped, including Kate and Isabel’s battle. Behind Araya, a black wolf jumped over a ruined wall. It stopped, growling at Kate. Kate growled back and the wolf’s eyes glowed blue. Kate froze while Isabel spun around, looking for where she’d left Derek’s body. To find it gone. She looked back at the wolf, an amazed look on her face. The wolf attacked Kate, taking her by surprise. She screamed as it tore at her throat and arms. It finally backed off and Kate tried to crawl away, the wolf snarling at her. It raised up on its back legs, its body taking on a humanoid form before the fur disappeared in a wave. Isabel’s hands went to her mouth, tears forming in her eyes. The wolf was a very much alive Derek. Shock showed on everyone’s face. Even Sean and Parrish exchanged amazed looks.

Kate seemed to be the most shocked. “You were…,” she started. “You were dead.”

“No,” Derek said. “I was evolving. Something you’ll never do.” The remaining Berserker snarled and started towards him. Derek dodged its attack and effortlessly pulled the skull mask apart. The Berserker fell to dust, its bone armor falling in a pile at his feet. Kate scrambled to her feet. Before a single shot went off and Kate went down again. Isabel looked behind her to see Chris with a look on his face like he’d just killed his own family. Isabel knew he’d wanted to save her if he could. Kate staggered to her feet and darted between the buildings, Chris running after her. Derek turned towards Isabel. She didn’t hesitate to go to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, tears flowing down her cheeks. Derek wrapped his arms around her beneath her wings.

“I thought I lost you for good this time,” she said.

“I told you it would be okay,” he said. “But we still need to find Scott.”

“You need to actually put some clothes on first.”

 

~~~

 

The pack could only watch as Peter and Scott brawled. Devin had tried to tell Scott that Peter was under Kate’s control. He’d known it since the night that he’d almost killed him. Peter threw Scott across the room, close to Devin. Peter leapt at Scott. Scott rolled out of the way and Peter landed where he’d been.

“Peter!” Devin cried. “This isn’t you! This is Kate!” Peter snarled and swiped at Devin, leaving deep gashes across his stomach. Devin went to a knee.

“Devin!” Lilith cried, going to his side.

“It’s time,” he said to her. She nodded. He flicked out the talons of his right hand and put his fingers into the wound, coating them with his blood. Scott and Peter were locked together and Devin leapt forward and stuck his talons into the back of Peter’s neck. Peter howled as Devin’s eyes glowed blue. The two men stiffened and Devin gasped, feeling his own power ebbing away as his blood fought against Kate’s spell. Devin pulled his talons out of Peter’s neck and the two collapsed.

“What the hell just happened?” Lindsey asked. Lilith ran over to Devin as Peter sat up, rubbing his neck. He looked slightly confused at where they were.

“Dad?” Malia asked.

Peter looked around until he saw Scott. “Scott,” he said. “I…”

“Don’t, Peter,” Scott’s attention was no longer on the elder Hale, Peter turned to see Lilith holding Devin, a hand pressed against his stomach.

“Oh, God,” Peter whispered.

“Stay with me, Devin,” Lilith said. “Please.”

“Did it work?” Devin asked.

“I think so.”

Peter crawled over towards them. “Did I do this?”

“Are you yourself?” Devin asked. “Is she still controlling you?”

“How did you know?”

“When you almost killed me. It was when she dug her claws into you, wasn’t it?”

“I think so.”

“Then it was worth it.”

“It’s not worth you dying for me.”

Devin only smiled before he turned his attention to Lilith. “Lilith.”

“Devin,” she said, tears in her eyes.

He put his hand on her cheek. “Everything will be okay. I promise.”

“You can’t make that promise.”

“I wish we had more time. I wish it didn’t end like this.”

“I don’t know if I can do this without you.”

“You can. You know I’ll always be with you.”

“Devin, please.”

“I love you, Lilith.” The two kissed before he settled his head against her chest. Lilith held him close and cried into his hair.

“Devin!” The others turned at Isabel’s voice, Derek behind her. They looked at each other, confused. Isabel crouched next to Lilith as she mourned Devin. “What happened?”

“Peter was under Kate’s control,” Lindsey said. “Devin broke her spell.”

Isabel saw the blood on Devin’s shirt and lifted it, seeing the deep wound in his stomach. “He used his blood.” Lilith nodded and Isabel turned towards Peter. “Devin saw something in you that the rest of us have failed to see,” she said. “He just gave his life to save you. You had better be worth it.”


	42. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack deals with the aftermath of the events at La Iglesia.

Devin’s body was placed in the back of the transport van, Isaac trying his best to comfort Lilith.

Araya approached Isabel. “I seem to owe you an apology,” she said.

Isabel gave her a puzzled look. “For what?”

“For saying you were a threat and assuming you were a wolf.”

Isabel jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “Well, these guys assumed I was a wolf when I first met them.”

Scott chuckled.

“What exactly are the two of you?”

“We’re Valkyries,” Isabel answered. “We’re protectors.”

“Most of us are, anyway,” Daniel added.

“Not helping.”

“Nevertheless, I appreciate what you did for us tonight. And your help.” Araya looked over at the van. “And you have my condolences for your friend.”

“Thank you, Araya. And thank you for bringing the cavalry.” Araya smiled and inclined her head. By this time the others had come out of the church and Chris approached them.

“We’ve come to understand that Peter was under some sort of spell that Kate cast,” Scott told him. “Devin died to free him from her influence.” Peter was leaned against the church wall, looking at the dirt beneath his feet with his hands in his pockets. Malia looped her arm through his.

“Araya has agreed to let him go.” Chris looked over his shoulder at the Mexican Hunter and her surviving men.

“You’re going with them?” Scott asked.

“I made a deal with the Calaveras weeks ago to leave all of you alone. But only if I help them find Kate.”

“Are you going to kill your own sister?” Lindsey asked.

“I don’t want to kill her, but I don’t think she’s worth saving after what she’s done.” Sean pulled Lindsey close to him in a one-armed hug.

“What if you can’t find her?” Kira asked.

“I’ll find her. Someone has to.” Chris turned and started to walk towards the Calaveras’ cars. He stopped next to Sean. “Take care of your family, Sean.”

“I will.” The pack watched as Chris left with the Calaveras.

Isabel turned to the others. “Let’s go home.”

 

~~~

 

“You’re okay!” Lydia cried as everyone pulled in front of Derek’s building. “I was so sure someone was going to die!” Isabel and Derek looked at one another and Lydia took stock of who had exited the vehicles. “Where’s Sean, Isaac, Devin, and Lilith?”

“Lydia…,” Kira started.

“No! Where are they?!” Lydia’s eyes were filling with tears. “What happened?” The back of the transport van opened and she held her breath. Isaac stepped past the door with Lilith. Lilith looked numb. A moment later, Sean stepped past the door.

“Guys, what are we—” He was interrupted by Lydia slamming into his chest. “Lydia! You’re okay!” She hugged him tightly. “What happened?”

“A Berserker trapped me and Danny at the school. Who died? What happened?”

Sean led Lydia to the back of the van and she gave a gasp upon seeing Devin’s lifeless and bloody body. “He used his power to break Kate’s hold on Peter,” Sean said. “He was too weak to heal himself. Isabel and Lilith couldn’t save him.” Lydia wiped away a tear. Isaac looked at Lindsey, then motioned between Lydia and Sean. Lindsey shrugged. Lydia turned and sobbed into Sean’s chest. “But, guys, what are we going to do with Devin?”

“We give him a funeral,” Isabel said.

 

~~~

 

Devin was buried near the old Chasseur warehouse where Lindsey learned to shoot. Afterwards, the pack split up, Lilith returning to Devin’s apartment, Isaac going with her so she wouldn’t be alone. Isabel plopped down on the couch, Derek sitting next to her.

“This has been one hell of an adventure,” Derek said.

“You told Kate you were evolving,” Isabel looked at Derek. He was a werewolf once again. She could sense it as clearly as she had when they first met. “Did you know the entire time?”

Derek shook his head. “No. It wasn’t until after the Berserker stabbed me that I felt it. That’s why I stopped you.”

“You couldn’t have told me?”

“Well, I was feeling a bit mortal at that moment.” Derek pulled her close to him. “I’m sorry.”

Isabel put her head against his chest. “I don’t know if I’ll forgive you for that.”

Derek looked down at her to see her smirking. “What do I need to do to earn that forgiveness?”

“Hmm, I might have to think about that.”

“Do I need to beg?” Isabel started to giggle.

“Maybe.” A knocked sounded on the door. “Hold that thought.” Derek chuckled as Isabel stood. She opened the door to see Deaton. “Deaton?”

“I’m sorry to bother you, Isabel,” he said. “Scott told me about Devin. I’m sorry.”

“Thank you, but what brings you here?”

Deaton reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope. “Before you left for Mexico, Devin brought this by the clinic,” He held the envelope out to Isabel. “He asked me to give this to you when you returned.” Isabel took the envelope and saw it was addressed to her in Devin’s handwriting. “Isabel, you should know that he told me he wasn’t coming back.”

“Before we left, he said someone wasn’t leaving Mexico,” Derek joined Isabel at the door. “I just didn’t know he was talking about himself.”

“I don’t think he wanted you to have that burden.” Deaton placed a hand on Isabel’s arm before looking at Derek. “Glad to see you back, Derek.”

“Glad to be back.” Deaton nodded and left.

Isabel looked down at the envelope before opening it. She pulled out a handwritten letter.

 

_Isabel,_

_If this letter is in your hands, then I didn’t make it back. I need to apologize to you for lying to you about my vision. I should not have let you assume I spoke of Derek when I was actually speaking of myself. The truth is I saw myself die to save Peter. I pray that Lydia wasn’t right about Derek because this letter may only add salt to the wounds._

_I couldn’t tell you the truth of what I saw. You were worried enough with the two predictions Lydia made about Derek and the fact he lost his powers. I couldn’t add to your burden. I couldn’t add the truth of my impending death to your shoulders. I saw what I had to do to free Peter and I knew it would kill me. I pray that one day you will forgive me for this ruse. I never meant to hurt you. Not when we were younger, not when I came back into your life, and not now with my death._

_I want you to know I will always love you. You are the greatest friend I have ever had. Take care of Lilith for me. Help her with our child when the time comes. I hope I was able to tell her, but if I didn’t, please tell her I love her and I wish things had turned out differently. I wish you and Derek long lives. And I pray you never have to go through this a second time._

_Devin_

 

Isabel sat down, Derek next to her. “He knew,” she said. “He knew he wasn’t coming back. He knew what he was doing.” Derek rubbed her back. “But we need to go to Devin’s and talk to Lilith.”

 

~~~

 

Isaac answered the knock, smelling familiar scents.

“How is she doing?” Isabel asked.

“She hasn’t made a sound in a while. I don’t know if she just cried herself to sleep or she’s cried out.” He motioned down the hall. “She’s in Devin’s room.” Isabel went down the hall and gently knocked on the door before opening it. Lilith was sitting on the bed, her knees drawn up with her face buried in the pillow she had hugged to her chest. Isabel sat next to her and gently touched her back. Lilith looked up, her face tear-stained.

“It still smells like him,” she explained.

“I know.”

“Did Isaac call you? I… I just need to mourn Devin.”

“I know, Lilith.”

“Then please just…”

“About the vision and the baby.”

“Devin didn’t want you to know. He felt horrible for letting you assume he meant Derek…,” she trailed off and she looked at Isabel. “How did you know about the baby? We didn’t tell anyone. Devin thought I would have been forced to stay behind if you knew and I wanted to help. I needed to be with him when he… he died.” Isabel only gave her the letter Devin wrote her. “His fail-safe.”

“He knew he wasn’t coming back and felt that I needed an explanation for his actions. He also felt that I needed to know that you were pregnant with his child.”

Lilith put her hand on her stomach. “I couldn’t heal him without sacrificing the baby.” Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. “It’s a clause in our powers. We use our own energy for our magic, but if we have no more and we’re pregnant, that energy comes from the child. You must hate me for not being strong enough to save him.”

“I don’t hate you or blame you, Lilith. If I had gotten there sooner, I might have been able to save him.”

“I don’t know what to do. I can’t stay here and I don’t know if I can raise a child on my own. I don’t have a coven to help me.”

“Stay in Beacon Hills. Stay here.”

“I don’t have a job. And I’m not part of the pack.”

“After what you’ve done to help us since coming back, I think you’re part of the pack. And I hear that the school still has an opening for a librarian.”

Lilith looked at Isabel. “You’re serious about this.”

“I’m serious about fulfilling my friend’s last request. Devin would have wanted you to stay. And I’m asking you to.”

“Thank you, Isabel.” Isabel pulled Lilith close as the witch began to cry again, overwhelmed by the Valkyrie’s words.

 

~~~

 

The pack was returning to their lives. Peter had apologized profusely to Scott, begging for a chance to prove that he wasn’t after Scott’s position, that Kate’s spell had reverted him back. Scott only decided to give him that chance because of Malia. Stilinski was beyond angry that Stiles had gone behind his back to Mexico again. Lindsey and Liam worked on his control and finding out what exactly she could do, with Lydia and Deaton’s help. Sean took over Chris’ business while he was gone. Lilith was back working at the school, many of the students happy to see her back, having given a story to her boss about how a family emergency had forced her to leave for a bit. Daniel returned to Satomi’s pack, but promised to stay in close contact with Isabel and the others.

 

With their lives settling back into normalcy, Isabel and Derek were able to settle back into their routines of work. Isabel didn’t think she could be happier. The man she loved was alive and well after months of his life hanging in the balance. The pack was happy and healthy and for once, she didn’t have to look over her shoulder and could truly relax. Then came a morning that proved her wrong. She woke to find a ring on her finger and Derek sitting on the bed next to her, smiling. Isabel sat up, looking up at him.

“Derek,” she whispered. “Is this…?”

“I want us to be official. I have a very important question to ask you, Isabel.”

“What?”

“Would you be a Hale? Would you be my wife?”

Isabel smiled before throwing her arms around him. “Of course, I would.”

 

Isabel had found where she belonged. And neither one of them would be broken again.


End file.
